Chapter 83

The air in the therapy office felt warmer this time. I didn’t know if it was the heater or something inside me, but walking in didn’t feel as heavy as the first time. I sat down on the couch, my hands resting in my lap. I wasn’t gripping them together like I used to.

The therapist smiled at me, kind and patient as always. “Elizabeth, how have you been since our last session?”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Better, I think.”

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “Tell me more.”

I thought about it. “I remembered my appointment today without Benjamin reminding me. I wrote it down on the calendar in the kitchen, and when I walked past it this morning, I saw it.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said softly. “That’s progress. A small victory.”

Her words sat with me. Small victory. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but maybe she was right.

I started telling her about Daisy’s homework. How she had spread her worksheets across the dining table,