I nearly treated it as an ordinary question.

But I had been thinking about whether he was frightened.

He had been asking what leaving would cost.

PART 2 — The Order With Three Names

I had been engaged to Elliott for three years.

During that time, we had planned the wedding, the trip afterward, and the household we expected to share.

Then my brothers needed a different family arrangement.

I became responsible for them, and the court approved my guardianship on November 18.