Ryder
The following day came too soon.
Martha had already promised to help me process the family register change. She said she’d handle the paperwork before the new week ended. I would be getting a new surname. I felt a strange relief hearing that. Like one heavy chain was finally loosening. I thanked her quietly before I left. She hugged me, quick and warm, the way she always did.
Lila stood near the porch steps. She smiled at me — small, careful, and full of everything we couldn’t say out loud. I waved. She waved back. I could see it in her eyes — the way she wanted to run to me, wrap her arms around my neck, bury her face in my chest. But she held herself back. Martha was right there. So she stayed still. Composed. Perfect.
I got into the car. Started the engine. Pulled out of the d
