I looked at the woman who had once promised to stand beside me through everything.
“Is a car worth leaving your daughters?”
She flinched, but only for a second.
“Don’t make this about the girls.”
“How can I not? They’re your children!”
My voice carried into the hallway.
A small figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
Chloe.
She was barefoot, clutching a notebook against her chest.
“Mom?”
Elena closed her eyes briefly.
“Go back to your room, Chloe.”
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Your father and I are having a conversation.”
“Why are you packing?”
I moved toward my daughter, but she was already coming down the stairs.
“Mom, did I do something wrong?”
That question nearly broke me.
Elena looked away.
“No, sweetheart.”
“Then why are you leaving?”
For one moment, I thought she might change her mind. I thought she might drop the suitcase, kneel beside Chloe, and admit that she was making a terrible mistake.
