As if declining to punish him beyond the recovery agreement required affection.

It didn’t.

Mercy and reconciliation were different things.

I could refuse a personal damages claim and still not invite him to dinner.

I could believe Lorraine did not know about the hospital visit and still refuse to trust her with money.

I could love my family and stop letting the family manage my life.

The black button eventually stopped being the first thing I thought about when I remembered Hannah.

That might have been the greatest change.