Ethan froze, the hope shattering. “Mom… what?”

“You showed me who you are when you thought you had all the power,” Linda said, clutching the bag to her chest. “You looked at me and saw garbage to be thrown away.

I love you, Ethan. I will always love you. But I will never, ever trust you in my sanctuary again.”

“Mom, please! It’s freezing out here! I have nowhere to go!” he cried, gripping the bars, rattling the heavy iron.

“Then you’d better catch the next bus back to the South Side,” she said.

She turned her back on him. She didn’t look back as he called her name, his voice echoing off the frozen trees. She walked up the driveway, head high, the wind whipping her hair.