I checked it on scheduled dates, saved the receipts, and kept a separate folder of correspondence.

Financial responsibility remained Garrett’s obligation, but it no longer dominated every conversation in our home.

Meanwhile, Brenda was finding her own footing.

She had taken a different job with more predictable hours and found a smaller apartment closer to Sienna’s preschool.

She sent me a photo of Sienna standing beside a tiny Christmas tree, proudly holding a handmade ornament shaped like a dinosaur.

Liam asked if he could make her a gift.