I did not have to destroy one memory to examine the other.

The ring was upstairs.

The legal questions remained open.

There would be difficult conversations and days when my resolve did not feel as solid as it had in June’s office.

But Mara had my number, and I had hers.

At the table, Noah held up his picture.

The yellow door was now wider than the blue one.

He had added a tree that leaned away from the house, perhaps because he had run out of room for its branches.