The financial issues remained open.

Iris turned off her screen and realized she had not once needed to convince him that she deserved to be treated with dignity.

She only needed to protect the choices available to her.

PART 16

Evelyn called Iris in early December.

This time there was no lecture about forgiveness.

“I learned something I should have asked about a long time ago,” she said.

Iris sat at her kitchen table at Lena’s apartment.