Inside, she had written that she didn't know whether families could begin again, but she was glad I had finally arrived.
I cried so hard that she offered me a napkin and reminded me that my face looked ridiculous when I sobbed.
I laughed, thanked her, and promised only what I could keep: another visit, another conversation, and honesty when things became difficult.
Later, Chloe sat beside me while Iris slept against her shoulder, and we watched Sadie teach Noah how to identify Orion.
Chloe confessed that she still mourned the marriage she thought she'd had, even while loving the family now growing around her.
I told her she didn't have to turn betrayal into a blessing to recognize the good things that followed it.
She nodded and kissed Iris's hair, accepting that grief and happiness could occupy the same ordinary afternoon without canceling each other.
I sometimes think about the moment Julian turned pale and said that the baby could never be his daughter.
