Leander was perfect.

Leander had done nothing but arrive.

The failure in that delivery room had been entirely, exclusively Nicolas’s, and you just didn’t deserve him was not cruelty on my part.

It was simply the plainest way I knew to name what had happened: a good thing had come to a man who could not rise to meet it.

I walked to the dresser and picked up a thick manila folder and set it on the floor beside his tablet.

He blinked at it through his tears.