On the back, in purple crayon, Chloe had written:
Mommy please come to my school play.
She looked at Elena.
“It came back.”
Elena’s face tightened.
“You don’t know what was happening then.”
“No.”
Chloe nodded.
“I was eight.”
She took another envelope.
“This one was from Lily.”
Another.
“This was Maya’s.”
Maya stared at the table.
“She was two when Dad helped her put handprints on the paper.”
Chloe opened it.
Two tiny faded handprints.
Elena looked away.
Then Chloe pulled out a journal.
Her father immediately stood.
“Chloe.”
She turned toward him.
His face had gone pale.
“You don’t need to do this.”
“Yes.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
Chloe’s voice softened.
“Dad, she just told a room full of people that you kept us from her.”
He looked down.
She opened the journal.
“I found this two years ago when we cleaned out the garage.”
