She filled her time with her own work and routines. Productivity replaced conversation. Independence felt practical, and even virtuous. She convinced herself space was healthy, that parallel lives still counted as togetherness, ignoring the loneliness settling between tasks and schedules.
They stopped sharing details, then stopped noticing the absence. Updates felt unnecessary. Assumptions replaced curiosity. Each assumed the other knew. Gradually, awareness dulled, and small changes passed unremarked, until connection depended on memory rather than attention.