I thought of Daniel, of the years of wanting him to become someone different, of my little apartment and the window I could open whenever I wished.

“It can,” I said.

“But you don’t have to stop loving someone to protect yourself.”

That evening I called Nina and told her about the conversation without sharing Talia’s private details.

Nina said it sounded as though I’d found my way back to something important.

“Helping people?” I asked.

“Helping people without forgetting you’re one of them.”

I stood on the balcony after we hung up.