By mid-morning he was pacing the house, listening for sounds across the hedge. Every shout of laughter carried by the breeze made his chest tighten. By noon he was sure it had happened. The neighbors’ music was louder than usual, their voices raised, sharp and heated.
He stepped to the window, heart thudding, and saw them in the driveway. At first he blinked, certain his eyes were tricking him. But no—the husband’s hair, once dark, was streaked with uneven blond patches, garish under the sun.