felt. When her father died, she organized the meal schedule herself at nineteen because she said I should not have to answer another call. When her first apartment flooded, she sorted every damaged box by room and insurance category before allowing herself to cry.
She never fell apart publicly.
She never invented drama.
She never asked for help unless everything was already burning.
So when Marcus’s name appeared on my phone, my hand turned cold before I answered.
My son-in-law never called early.
He never called kindly either.
Marcus was
