Friday evening found them leaving the city behind, Lily’s sleek BMW packed with weekend bags and an esky of simple provisions. The drive to the central coast cottage was quiet at first. Lily focused on the road, and Jane fiddled with Spotify on her phone until her acoustic playlist kicked off. She started with Amy Shark’s Adore, but now Angus & Julia Stone have filled the car with soft, breathy harmonies. Their hands link...

Two weeks had passed since the night at Jane’s apartment when Lily had taken full command, and the memory of it still lived in their bodies like a second heartbeat. They had seen each other often in those weeks, never more than a day or two apart. A long, salt-winded walk along the coast at dawn, where they held hands openly and spoke of nothing important. Coffee on Jane’s balcony that stretched into hours of quiet conver...

Three nights after the evening that had unravelled Lily so completely, Jane opened her door to unexpectedly find Lily standing there, city lights glittering behind her like scattered diamonds. It had been a brutal week for Lily, endless meetings, a partner who unrelentingly demanded perfection, even at 2 a.m. … performance demanding constant unflappable competence that Lily didn’t always feel. She was, though, determined...