I never married because I spent my life raising my sister’s twin sons alone. But what they did after turning eighteen left me completely frozen.

old cardboard boxes.

I wrapped family photos in newspaper.

Some nights I cried on the bedroom floor until I had nothing left.

Other nights I stared at the ceiling, wondering where I had failed Grace.

On the twenty-eighth day, Ethan appeared at my door.

“The buyers want to close sooner,” he said. “You need to be out by Friday.”

Friday was two days away.

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