When Elias returned to the gallery, the silence inside was thick. He found Clara in the small kitchen behind the exhibition area. She was standing in front of the open pantry, her hand resting on the refrigerator handle. She didn't turn around when he came in.

“The milk’s sour,” she said weakly. “And we only have half a loaf of bread and some dried pasta left. I tried to go to the market while you were at the restaurant. Mrs. Gable was standing in the doorway. She didn’t say anything, just shoo