I agreed because my hands were shaking, although the room felt impossible to escape while my brother stood beside the door.
Chloe asked Julian to take his things and go, promising she would speak with him only after she had called an attorney.
He looked to me one final time, wearing the helpless expression that had always persuaded me to rescue him.
Instead, I told him that the baby had done nothing wrong and deserved an apology he wasn't ready to give.
When the door closed behind him, Chloe slid down into the chair and began crying without making any sound.
I wanted to hug her, but I could barely move, so I reached across the space between us with my free hand.
She held on for a long time before asking whether she was still allowed to love the child lying against my chest.
The question shattered me, because Julian had made motherhood sound like a privilege someone could revoke with a cruel sentence.
