My Daughter Begged Me Not to Get Off the Bus—Minutes Later, My Boyfriend Sent a Photo of My Deed Beside a Contract I Had Never Signed

We stood together.

I collected the bag of leftovers.

Lily put on her backpack.

The driver waited while we stepped down, and I thanked him.

The doors closed behind us.

For a moment, we stood on the pavement with the sound of the bus moving away.

Then Lily started toward the house.

Halfway along the walkway, she stopped.