When I placed the pot on Laura’s sill, the room smelled faintly of the garden we had tended together.

I didn’t know exactly where I would live a year from then.

I knew I wanted a window with a plant beside it, somewhere I could make choices without waiting for someone else’s permission.

PART 15 — What We Could Prove

The weeks that followed were less dramatic than the conversations that had preceded them.

There were requests for records, appointments that ran late, and emails full of terms I had to read twice.

The bank investigated the disputed acknowledgment and required additional verification before considering any future transaction involving the property.