“There was never a romance between them, Samantha.

But you have every reason to be angry that he wouldn’t tell you who she was.”

Hearing both statements together made me feel unexpectedly relieved.

Violet didn’t need me to forgive Gregory to honor Rose.

We sat in the courtyard where old roses climbed along a fence.

Violet told me about her daughter learning to drive, falling in love with terrible songs, and calling home just to ask how long to boil potatoes.

She told me about the day Lucy was born and the fierce way Rose held her child.