Richard had circled the referral and written Declined across it in thick black marker.

He had signed his name right under his handwritten refusal.

The second envelope held a warning letter from Brenda Brooks in the billing office.

It said the clinic hadn’t been able to reach anyone at the contact number given.

The letter was dated three weeks earlier.

He had been grabbing the clinic’s letters every afternoon before he came into the house and hiding them in the one place he knew I never looked.

I put the clinic envelopes in my purse.