But Laura loved the noise.
The sound of Maya coming downstairs with her backpack half-open.
The way Ethan ran through the kitchen pretending he was a bear.
The smell of toast.
The radio playing softly near the window.
Richard complaining about traffic while searching for his keys.
Laura used to stand beside the counter with her thick brown hair pinned into a loose bun, wearing comfortable jeans and an old cardigan, moving between breakfast dishes and a notebook full of reminders.
She had a habit of writing messages on small square pieces of paper.
For Maya, she wrote encouraging notes before tests.
For Ethan, she drew little animals.
For Richard, she occasionally left a message inside his briefcase.
Don't forget lunch.
Call the electrician.
Your daughter needs you at her school concert.
And sometimes simply:
Come home safe. We love you.
Richard kept several of those notes in his wallet.
He never told Laura how much they meant to him.
He assumed she knew.
That was one of the things he would regret most.
Their marriage was not perfect.
They argued over money.
Work.
Schedules.
The way Richard kept accepting projects even when he was already exhausted.
But they loved each other.
And they had built something together.
Bennett & Cole Restoration was a regional construction and property rehabilitation company Richard started with his longtime friend Adrian Cole.
The business began with small residential repairs.
Then expanded into larger renovation contracts.
Eventually, it handled commercial properties, apartment buildings, and community housing projects.
Richard managed construction.
Adrian handled finance, purchasing, and contractual administration.
Laura helped establish a separate nonprofit initiative that coordinated repairs for families who could not afford necessary safety improvements to their homes.
She believed that a construction company with skilled workers, equipment, and community relationships could do more than make money.
Richard admired her for it.
Adrian praised her publicly.
And Nicole Park, then an administrative manager working with the company's financial office, gradually became one of Laura's most frequent collaborators.
Nicole was charming when she wanted to be.
She remembered birthdays.
Arranged meetings.
Solved scheduling problems.
Brought coffee when employees worked late.
And always seemed to know which person needed reassurance.
Richard considered her efficient.
Adrian called her indispensable.
Laura initially thought she was a friend.
That belief began changing during the final summer of her life.
It started with a missing payment.
Then another.
A housing project in East Millbrook had received designated funds to repair water-damaged apartments for low-income families.
The repairs were delayed.
Several subcontractors complained they had not been paid.
But the nonprofit's reports showed that most of the budget had already been spent.
Laura reviewed the documents.
At first, she assumed someone had entered the figures incorrectly.