Instead, as she passed through the gate, she remembered the day she had been sent away under the eyes of security guards and neighbors.

Her stomach tightened.

Idan rushed to greet her, and the feeling softened.

They made pancakes, just as they used to.

He spilled flour over the counter and laughed when Clara dabbed a little on his nose.

They took their plates to the garden and sat beneath the old magnolia tree.

“Are you coming back to live here?” he asked.

“I never lived here, sweetheart.