Alice’s drawings and school projects were prominently displayed rather than hidden away in some designated child-appropriate area.

“We’re still figuring it all out,” Rebecca explained as she showed me around.

“Most of our furniture was too large and ornate for these spaces, so we sold almost everything.

But honestly, it’s starting to feel more like home than the other house ever did.”

“There’s a warmth here,” I observed truthfully, “a sense of who you really are as a family.”

Something flickered across Rebecca’s face—recognition of a truth she was just beginning to acknowledge.