But I could stop missing the days that remained.

PART 26: The Future They Chose

The following autumn, Chloe and Sophie left for university.

They chose different campuses, close enough to visit but far enough apart to discover themselves as separate people.

Marianne cried in the parking lot after helping them unload boxes, then laughed at herself for crying.

I attended move-in day for Sophie because she asked me to.

I carried a lamp up two flights of stairs, assembled a shelf badly, then followed instructions while she showed me how to fix it.