away.*
*I believed he had betrayed me. I left Northbridge with you before anyone could stop me.*
The photograph beside me showed my mother and Claire holding hands. In the background, near the green door, stood a teenage boy with dark hair and a serious expression.
I turned it over.
On the back, my mother had written:
Margaret, Samuel, and Claire. The last day before everything changed.
My throat tightened.
*For many years, Samuel tried to find us. I changed our surname, moved often, and refused every letter he sent.
