“She was dragged into your lies, but she isn’t the one who signed my name on bank transfer slips.”

Daniel sank back into his chair, his hands dropping uselessly to his sides as the last of his arguments fell apart.

He didn’t touch the white envelope again, and he didn’t say another word to explain the thirty-eight thousand dollars listed on the audit.

The kitchen settled into a deep, unbroken quiet.

I picked up my small suitcase from beside the counter, pulled my laptop bag over my shoulder, and stood by the doorway leading to the stairs.

When I looked back from the bottom step, Daniel was sitting silently at the kitchen table while Ava wiped her eyes near the staircase, holding her blue school binder against her chest.