At the Drake Hotel, chandeliers spilled warm light across the lobby.

Volunteers carrying clipboards hurried toward the ballroom, and guests in evening clothes gathered around tables of donated artwork.

I had helped organize the children’s literacy portion of the fundraiser for years.

Before Derek’s business success became a wall between us, we had both believed the evening served something larger than appearances.

I took Grace to see the silent-auction books.

She chose a picture book about a whale navigating by starlight.

I made a small bid in her name, using money from my own account.