Chapter 28

I opened the door and stepped inside first, pausing in the hallway. I felt peace wash over me.

Behind me, my mother lingered in the doorway, eyes slowly scanning the walls like she was trying to see her memories in them. Benjamin stepped in last, setting the keys on the entryway console with a soft clink, then shutting t

Her voice cracked a little. I turned to her, and for the first time in a long time, her shoulders didn’t look so heavy.

Benjamin stepped beside me, tugged off his jacket, and touched my lower back gently. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s sit for a bit. You both need it.”

We moved as one into the living room. I curled into the corner of the couch, pulling my knees up, and Benjamin sat beside me, draping an arm over my shoulder. My mother sank into the other armchair opposite us, her hands resting on her lap like she didn’t quite know what to do with them.

She looked around again, slower this time. “I didn’t think I’d ever feel free in my heart