Arthur led with his reputation, and stayed there, because in his interior world the harm to Lucas was real to him only as a problem for the family, a stain to be managed, and not as an injury to a small person he was supposed to love.

You cannot apologize your way back from a place you were never really sorry to have gone.

Chapter 23 — You Were the Adult

Eleanor called about an hour later, and I answered, because Julian could not.

She was sobbing, the words tumbling out half-formed.

“Evelyn, please, please, you have to understand, I wanted to open the door.

I did.

I wanted to.”