I watched as they pulled into the driveway. Watched as David reached over and hugged his sister tightly, the kind of embrace that said more than words ever could. I watched as he said something to her—quiet, serious—and she simply nodded in response, her body sagging like it had finally let go of a tension it had held far too long.
Since they left, I’d been pacing back and forth in the kitchen like a caged animal, restless and irritable, hating the fact that I hadn’t been allowed to come along. I hated not knowing how it had gone. The silence was maddening. Every second that passed without a word felt like an eternity. All I wanted—desperately, helplessly—was to gather Cora into my arms and hold her until she felt okay again. Until some of that sadness washed off her skin.
But I also kne
