By the time evening fell, the mystery had already slipped from their minds. Life offered too many real things to focus on—jobs, friends, routines, and dreams. The lump was just background scenery, an odd detail swallowed by the comfort of building a life together.
Years drifted by in a comforting blur. They hosted barbecues under string lights, their dog chased squirrels with dignified determination, and Marie tended flowerbeds that flourished in bursts of color. Walter settled into routines that felt like evidence of a life finally unfolding the right way.