Pamela had made herself the editor of my daughter’s grief.

The cabinet was where Hannah took the pen back.

Chapter 17 — Forgiveness and Boundaries

One evening while we cooked dinner, Hannah asked if I still loved Pamela.

“Part of me still loves the person I believed she was,” I answered honestly, chopping vegetables.

“But that person cannot be separated from the choices the real one made.”

“Does loving somebody mean you have to forgive them for everything they do?” she asked.

It was a large question from a small person, and I answered it as carefully as I could, because I understood she was not really asking about Pamela.