I confess I did not spend much time thinking about it.

His consequences were his own, arrived at entirely through his own choices, and I had a daughter to raise and a life to rebuild and no energy to spare on the wreckage of a man who had shown me exactly who he was.

Chapter 18 — I Don’t Speak to Strangers

A soft chime sounded at the front door.

I stood up, settling Maya on my hip, and opened it to find my mother on the porch, holding a basket of fresh muffins and a new toy for the baby.

“How are my favorite girls doing today?” she smiled, stepping inside and pressing a warm kiss to my cheek.