“Well, I’m sorry he lost them. But these are ours.” The woman continues talking to her friend. I can almost imagine her hair flip and eye roll. Apparently, I’ve stumbled onto the only mean girl group in Elmhurst, but at the moment, I don’t care. I turn, grab my cane, and unfold it. The women silence as I follow the path to the sidewalk. That can’t be a coincidence. How would his bells end up in her bag at the same exact spot? I wish I could glimpse the women—to see if there are any obvious clues.

Don’t get your hopes up.

On the way home, I can no longer ignore the ache in my body. I need to sit down. I need to rest. In my driveway, Jake’s car is still warm. “Hello?” I follow the sound of hushed voices in the dining room.

“Jesus,” Jess rushes over. “Are you okay? We’ve been worried sick.”

“I found the bells.”

A chair scrapes. Jake crosses over to me in a few quick steps. “Where?”

“Wilder. A woman had them in her bag. She said they were her daughter’s, but isn’t that too much of a coincidence? I didn’t get her name.” Even to my own ears, I sound desperate, reaching. I take a step back and my foot catches on the edge of the rug. I right myself before I fall backward, but the way my body contorts makes me cry out in pain.

“Alright, that’s it. Sit.”

Jake ushers me to the couch, but I push him away. “I want to be alone.”

“Rebecca.” Jess’s voice is firm, reassuring. “We’re here to help.”

“I want to be alone,” I say again. “Please.”

Jake whispers something to Jess and she sighs. She pauses on her way out. “Get some rest.” The door clicks shut, and I cross my arms.

“You too, Donovan.”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Did you not hear me? I said I want to be alone.”

“No. I need to talk to you,” he says again. His calmness irritates me.

“Why? None of it matters, right? It’s all just a wild-goose chase. The baby upstairs is my baby, and this has all just been some figment of my imagination, caused by my own grief.”

“Sit down.” Jake’s voice is kind but firm.

I move around him like a petulant teen and gingerly lower myself onto the same couch cushion from only an hour ago. “What?”

“I went to Beth’s.”

“I did too.”

“Of course you did.” He almost sounds impressed.

“Is that it?” I lean forward to get up, but he stops me.

“No. I need to know you’re okay.” He struggles for words. “I’m really worried.”

What is your point? I almost scream.

He scratches his jaw. “I got a call from Dr. Gibbons.”

“And?”