I did not rifle through Liam’s things or damage anything of his or leave any dramatic note.

I simply took what was ours, mine and Hazel’s, and left everything that was his exactly where it sat.

Mason carried every box and bag out to his truck without asking me a single question, because he understood, the way family understands, that my quietness meant my mind was entirely and finally made up, and that there was nothing to talk me out of and nothing to talk me into.

When we were done, the apartment looked strange and stark, half-emptied, the shape of a departure written all over it.