The lobby felt smaller than I remembered it, all that marble and glass suddenly claustrophobic as the elevator doors opened and I saw her standing near the front desk, coat still buttoned, hands clasped tightly in front of her like she wasn't sure they'd behave otherwise.
My mother looked older than she had at that last, brutal family dinner — not dramatically, just tired in a way I hadn't let myself notice before, the kind of tired that came from carrying something heavy for a very long time. She saw me and something crossed her face, quick and unguarded before she smoothed it back into something more composed.
"Jasmine." Her eyes moved to Noah, then back to me, some old reflexive wariness flickering there. "Thank you for seeing me. I wasn't sure you would."
"I almost didn't." I kept m
