for us as leverage.
He offered me a fair severance. A strong reference. And nothing else.
That mattered.
THE DRIVE HOME
I drove through Ashgrove with all the windows down. The air was warm. For the first time in months, I didn’t know what would happen next.
It frightened me. It also felt honest.
When I reached home, Lily was sitting on the porch with Marissa. Her stuffed rabbit tucked under one arm, her hair sticking up in every direction after her nap.
I sat beside her. And finally cried.
Not the controlled tears I’d allowed myself at Nathaniel’s funeral. Not the silent ones I wiped away before Lily could see them.
I just cried.
My daughter climbed into my lap and wrapped both arms around my neck.
“I know Daddy wasn’t really at the party.”
I pulled back and looked at her. “What?”
She touched my cheek. “I just
