"After Norris Moore took a bath, she found the crumpled bedsheet in her room replaced.
Trenton Smith, clad in a bathrobe, was standing by the window in silence, a lit cigarette in his hand.
He seemed different tonight, and while Norris couldn't articulate what was off about him, she felt it. Ever since his confrontation with Rufus Swallow, there'd been an undercurrent of melancholy in him, almost imperceptibly faint but nonetheless present.
His demeanor inevitably stirred up a twinge of fear in her; she fretted that a careless move might provoke him and earn her a severe reprimand.
Lifting her gaze, she noticed a contraceptive pill on the coffee table, promptly swallowed one with a sip of water.
Once she'd taken the pill, a sense of ease washed over her. Norris climbed onto the bed, saying softly, "Mr. Smith, I'm going to rest."
He responded without looking at her. Having said goodnight, she closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.
