“But don’t change to win me back.

Change so you never do this to another human being as long as you live.”

He asked to see Chloe.

I did not decide it for her; I called upstairs and let her decide, and her answer came back through the phone, small and clear. I don’t want to see him. He came back the next day with his arms full of expensive toys, and she would not go down.

The third time, my father went out and told him to leave, and my mother went out after and stood squarely in front of him.