“I need to know whether Sophie and I can stand without Daniel.”
Then I looked at him.
“And without you.”
That hurt him.
I saw it.
But Marcus didn’t bargain.
He didn’t threaten my job.
He didn’t use everything he had done for us as leverage.
He offered me a fair severance.
A strong reference.
And nothing else.
That mattered.
THE DRIVE HOME
I drove through Bellmere with all the windows down.
The air was warm.
For the first time in months, I did not know what would happen next.
It frightened me.
It also felt honest.
When I reached home, Sophie was sitting on the porch with Rachel.
Her stuffed rabbit was under one arm.
Her hair stuck up in every direction after her nap.
I sat beside her.
And finally cried.
Not the controlled tears I had allowed myself at Daniel’s funeral.
Not the silent tears I wiped away before Sophie could see them.
