I just wanted you to see.”

She folded it carefully and put it away.

That gesture carried the most important lesson of our relationship: she could share something precious without handing over ownership of it.

Before leaving, she asked whether I had kept the first photograph they’d sent to my lawyer as babies.

I had to admit I didn’t know where it was.

She nodded, neither surprised nor cruel.

“I hope you find it,” she said.