My mother-in-law blocked the entrance to my new apartment and screamed that her son had bought it for her, ordering me to leave.

of consequences. He missed access. He missed my competence, my home, my reputation, my ability to make chaos manageable. But he did not yet understand that he had violated the most sacred thing I owned: the life I had built before him.

During a break, Blake approached me near the coffee station.

“Nora,” he said quietly. “Did you ever love me?”

Once, I continue reading …