"You what?" Luke gaped at him from the couch.
Daniel tossed his keys on the counter. "I left."
"Dude." Luke threw a chip at him. "You fled. Was she that bad?"
"No! She was—" Daniel groaned, rubbing his face. "She was fine."
"Then why—"
"Because it felt like cheating!" The words tore out of him, raw and too loud.
Luke went very still.
Daniel paced. "It's stupid. I know it's stupid. It's been almost a year. But I sat there and all I could think was—"
"Lila would've hated her," Luke finished quietly.
Daniel stopped. "Yeah."
A beat. Then Luke shrugged. "She would've. But… she's not here."
The words hung between them, neither cruel nor kind. Just true.
Daniel sank onto the couch beside him. "I don't know how to do this."
Luke nudged his shoulder. "Pretty sure you're supposed to not compare them to your dead wife, for starters."
Daniel snorted. "Noted."