But after his parents passed, I noticed he began mentioning her more often. I thought it was his way of grieving, so I didn’t dwell on it.
Looking back, I now see why her name kept coming up.
One evening, James came home looking shaken, as if he’d received terrible news.
“Rachel called,” he said. “She’s gone through a tough divorce. She has nowhere to go.”
“What?” I said, surprised. “Why is she reaching out now, after all these years?”
“I don’t know…” he sighed. “She’s struggling. She asked if she could stay with us, and I couldn’t say no.”
