Chapter 11Ruth crept out of the children’s room and quietly closed the door. She’d taken her time, reading three stories instead of the usual one, which she’d hoped would accomplish two things. First, assuage her guilt for having missed an evening with her children. And second, prompt Nili to take her up on the offer of retiring early for the night. It appeared she’d have to settle for one out of two, guilt being an ever-present consequence of motherhood.
She moved through the quiet flat, now mostly dark, save for the soft glow of the light above the stove. She flipped on the overhead, grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table, and took a bite. For the first time since arriving home, she allowed herself to drink in the day’s events, her insides humming to think of Samuel’s hand on her b
