At 2 A.M., a Hidden

there.

Rachel arrived at 6:30 a.m. wearing a gray coat, no makeup, and the expression of a woman ready to go to war.

She sat with Ava first.

Not with me.

That mattered.

Ava told her everything slowly, in pieces. I stayed in the next room with Noah, listening to the low murmur of their voices and feeling each minute carve something out of me.

When Rachel continue reading …