Howard Coleman pushed open the door and saw Madeleine walking out of the kitchen with an apron still wrapped around her. That afternoon, as he stood not far from the underground passage, he saw her crying. Her expression was one of such grievance and sadness that he thought he would come home to find her with reddened eyes, yet, to his surprise, he was met by the same Madeleine, donning a faint smile, who spoke in her gentle tone, "Back already?"
Howard nodded at Madeleine, who returned with a tender smile, "I've made some late-night food, do you want some?"
Howard nodded again and then took out his wallet and car keys, casually placing them on the shelf in the foyer area. He took off his suit jacket and threw it on the couch, then walked into the restroom.
After washing his hands, Howard came out and headed towards the kitchen. There, he saw Madeleine standing in front of the dining table, ladling soup into a bowl.