The adoption itself was patient, and thorough, and right.” She set the papers down.

“Congratulations.

She’s going home with her family today.” Her family.

The word landed on me and Arthur both, and neither of us could speak for a moment.

Her family.

For fourteen months, the great cruelty of Maya’s situation had been contained in the absence of exactly that word.

She had been a child with no family, a ward, a case, a placement, a file.

Twenty times, a family had been offered to her and had withdrawn the offer.