Jelenko sends her a dozen white roses. Hortense sends him a dozen black widows. Subtlety is one quality they lack in common.

Jelenko leaves a string of pearls on her doorknob; Hortense leaves his motor oil in a pool beneath his car. He delivers an assortment of white chocolates topped with silverflake. She bribes a barista to swap his coffee for ink. To switch things up, Jelenko gets her Loubotins in jet leather. She puts powdered bleach in his shower head.

In the hospital, he takes delivery of the roses, their petals charred one by one. He smiles; she watches. Monochromance.