more loss. Let it be a kindness without weight. Let it be light until you are old enough to carry the truth.”
”By then, I hope the mystery made you smile.”
”By then, I hope your mother has laughed more than she cried.”
”By then, maybe you will both know that love can keep showing up long after a person is gone.”
Adrian lowered the letter and stared at the table.
By then, I was crying openly.
Messy, breathless tears.
The kind that burn.
”I thought…” I said, and then
