If she comes and behaves herself, if she keeps her performance quiet, the box stays closed and no one ever sees it.” “And if she stays quiet,” I pressed, needing to hear it, “you leave it alone.

You let her have her day of pretending, and we go home, and that’s the end of it.” “Then the box stays closed,” Samantha agreed.

“I promise.

Only if she lies.

Only if she stands up in front of everyone and tells them you kept us from her.

Then, and only then.” And that, finally, seemed fair to me, because it put the choice in Laura’s hands, not ours.

That distinction mattered to me more than I can easily explain, and I want to dwell on it, because it is the difference between what we did and mere revenge.