Mara
“Mara, how are you? How is everyone?” Martha asked gently, settling across from me with the kind of grace that only comes after choosing stillness.
Her voice carried warmth, and yet as it reached me, a sharp ache rose in my chest. I reached out instinctively, taking her hand in mine. The touch steadied me, but it also made the wound of her silence throb all the more.
“I thought we connected, Martha,” I said softly, my voice trembling despite my effort to hold it firm. “Not even a call. Nothing. Not for Tiffany. Not for Darian. Not even for baby Emma. Why didn’t you reach out?”
Her smile faltered. The corners of her lips trembled, then fell away entirely. “Mara…” she murmured.
She sighed and dropped her gaze to our entwined hands. I felt her fingers shift slightly, as though she w
