y silence. Mark was in the kitchen, making pancakes for o

ive, his small voice still full of sleep. He sat

Mark said. He flipped a pancake with a flourish, a

hy

ed. She needed to go so

nosaur on Leo's plate. Leo' s favori

y birthday?" Leo asked, h

amp. We'll see

eo' s memory of me, planting the idea that I had abandoned

om closet and pulled out the shoebox where I kept my most treasured things. Not jewelry or anything valuable. Just small memories. A dried flower from ou

ms. He just dumped the whole b

f my favorite book, the one my grandmother gave me. Its spine was soft from a hundred readings. He picked

ine breaking echoing in the quiet room. He threw the pieces into the trash bag with my other memories. It was a symboli

came flooding back, no longer softened by hope o

grip on my arm painfully tight. I remembered him telling our friends that I was "too emotional" and "prone to exaggeration"

r mask of rage. He backed me into the bathroom. I slipped on a wet spot on the floor from Leo' s bath. My head hit the edge of the tub. The sound was a dull, wet crack. It wasn't ju

telling people

near Mark as he answered, his voice o

. The doctor said she needs complete rest. I'm t

uilt on the foundatio

room. His eyes weren't sad. They were assessing.

r of his child. I was a problem that had been solved. I wa