After a long day at the hospital , Zane trudged home and collapsed onto the sofa . He'd been in surgery all day , and his temples throbbed a familiar migraine . For a fleeting moment , he missed the gentle press of Clara's fingers . " Clara ? " he called out . No answer . Only silence responded . Zane sat up . He switched on the light and saw the dining table was bare. Normally , Clara would have dinner waiting for him when he got home . Zane pulled out his phone to call her , but it went straight to a cold , automated message : the phone was off . It was only then that he realized Clara hadn't been home for three days . Zane frowned , and found himself thinking back on his relationship with Clara . It was mostly Clara talking , with him rarely responding . When he did , it was usually a curt , " I'm busy . " The last message was from Clara , a week ago : [ Dinner's in the fridge . Remember to heat it up . ] He hadn't replied . Come to think of it , he couldn't remember the last time they'd truly spent any quality time together . Zane started to think back on his relationship with Clara . He'd met her when she was just starting her first novel , and he was a resident . Hailey had been her " assistant , " though in reality , she mostly just fetched coffee and complained about deadlines . Clara could spend twelve hours straight at her desk , wrestling with a single chapter until it was perfect , her focus absolute . She saw writing as a craft , a discipline . But when an editor's feedback was harsh or a beta reader was critical , it was always Hailey who would come to him , crying . " The criticism is just destroying her , Zane , " she'd sob , even though Clara was already calmly working on the revisions . At the time , he'd seen Clara's resilience as coldness , a lack of passion . He'd been drawn to Hailey's dramatic empathy , her perceived sensitivity . It sparked a protective instinct in him . But Clara never broke . Not in front of me , anyway . No matter how demanding the agent or how brutal the review , she'd just calmly analyze the feedback and start revising . Back then , Zane thought Clara was too detached , while Hailey seemed more human , more vulnerable . Now , looking back , he saw it for what it was . Clara wasn't cold ; she was a professional . And Hailey's tears? They were just another story she was writing . Zane tossed his phone aside and closed his eyes . She'd probably be back in a few days . This was her home , after all . He vaguely remembered Clara mentioning her mom was involved in a major research project . Maybe she'd gone to see her ?