The internet spent the past week convinced it had uncovered a political soap opera, even though the only thing on display was grief, coincidence and a great deal of imagination. A widow spoke about the future she lost, a vice president offered a public hug and a mother stepped out without her wedding ring. These separate, ordinary moments were stitched together by the MAGAverse into a rumour that Erika Kirk was secretly pregnant and Usha Vance was quietly separating. None of it was true. All of it was loud. The real story was quieter and far more human.