Ashley returned to the lounge, his mind now sobered by the events. The first thing he did was call Quinn’s cell phone. It rang a few times and went straight to voicemail. He tried twice more, then gave up. He went to their bedroom to clean up, the shock of it all having chased away any thought of sleep. After his shower, he went to the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast for the two of them. He knew Abbey would be hungry when she woke up.

He tried calling Quinn again, but the call rang out. Stepping outside into the backyard, his mind raced. How had they gotten to this point? Where had it all gone wrong? Was it even worth salvaging? To the last question, he spoke aloud to himself, “Yes, it needs to be salvaged, if only for Abbey’s sake.” He and Quinn had been so selfish, so consumed by their own dislike for each other, that they had lost all decency. “What kind of parents did we turn out to be?” he muttered, a profound sense of regret settling over him.

Abbey’s quiet voice broke his trance. “Daddy?” she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. He picked her up and carried her to the kitchen. They sat at the table, a lavish breakfast of sausages, bacon, eggs, and fried tomatoes lay out before them. But the atmosphere lacked warmth. They ate in silence, Abbey glancing at her dad every so often, hoping he would say something, anything. But like her, he had no words.

Neither of them could “enjoy” the meal. As if on cue, they both stopped eating, their plates half-full. Finally, Ashley blurted out, “I’ll contact your mom, find out what’s ailing her and get her to return home.” He knew he didn’t sound convincing, and her quiet nod of approval was more an act of encouragement than a show of belief.

Ashley got up and began to wash the dishes. Abbey, still in a state of shock, stood beside him, leaning into him for comfort. He stopped what he was doing, went down on his haunches, and pulled his little girl into a tight hug. She began to sob again, and he felt every tiny jolt of her body shaking uncontrollably. It was too much. He burst into tears as well—not because he missed his wife, but because of what they had done to this defenseless, beautiful child. It broke his heart. The five-minute embrace felt like an eternity, a shared moment of raw grief that cemented their bond.

He finally stood up, and before finishing the dishes, he tried calling Quinn again. This time, someone answered—a voice he recognized as Kaleen’s, one of Quinn’s workmates. Before he could even greet her, she screamed into the phone, “Stay away from my friend! She wants nothing more to do with you!” and hung up.

With the dishes done, Ashley and Abbey went to the lounge to watch television, hoping to erase the black mood that had consumed them. Both wrapped in a silent fear of loss, they watched a show they had chosen but with no real interest. The afternoon stretched on, and the sun cast long shadows through the windows before either of them moved. Abbey, still seeking reassurance, requested to sleep in the main bedroom. The thought dawned on Ashley that she might be wondering if he would “run away” too.

That night, they both fell asleep due to sheer exhaustion. But sometime later, Ashley awoke to the sound of Abbey sobbing in her sleep. Sleep was now impossible for him. All he could do was place a comforting hand on her shoulder, trying to stem the tide of her bitter grief.