Chapter 6

Matteo had left even less behind.

One old jacket. Two shirts. A razor he’d never charged.

Leah put them in a trash bag.

For years, those few things had made the apartment feel like a place he might return to. She had washed the shirts and kept the jacket where he could find it.

Now they were just things he hadn’t taken.

Behind her, the door opened.

“What is it this time?”

Matteo stood in the doorway, looking at the suitcase.

His gaze passed over the bandages on Finn’s hand.

It stopped there for a moment.

He still didn’t go to him.

“When you’re done with your little act, clean this place up.”

Leah closed the suitcase.

The zipper caught on a sleeve. She freed it carefully and pulled it the rest of the way.

Matteo came closer and grabbed her wrist.

“I’m talking to you.”

Finn jumped off the bed.

“Don’t touch my mom!”

Matteo stared at him.

The boy stood behind the suitcase, his uninjured hand clenched. He wasn’t asking when his father would come home.

He was asking him to stop.

Leah pulled free and stepped in front of Finn.

“Get out.”

Matteo looked at her as though he’d never heard her speak before.

For a few seconds, he said nothing.

Then he laughed, angry now.

“Think carefully. If you actually move out, don’t expect me to come get you.”

Leah nodded.

“I won’t be waiting.”

His face darkened.

He looked from her to Finn, as though one of them might soften.

Neither moved.

Finally, he turned and slammed the door.

He didn’t believe her.

For five years, Leah had always been the first to give in. Finn had always chased after him, asking when he’d return.

Why would this time be different?

Leah listened until his footsteps faded.

Then she took a copy of the divorce judgment from her document folder and laid it flat on the table.

At their wedding, she’d given him the only valuable jewelry she owned.

Leaving, she wouldn’t give him another plea to come back.

The papers said what needed saying.

She checked their documents once more and put the originals into her bag. Finn watched from beside the bed.

She left Matteo’s copy where he couldn’t miss it.

Then she picked up the suitcase and held out her hand.

“Let’s go.”

Finn took it.

At the doorway, Leah paused to make sure she had the keys.

Not to wait for him.

Not to leave the door unlocked in case he came home late.

Just to finish the last thing she needed to do before leaving.

They stepped outside together.

The suitcase wheels rattled behind them.

Finn stayed close as they made their way up from the basement. Leah kept his hand in hers and matched her pace to his.

He was still recovering. There was no need to hurry him.

They had spent enough of their lives hurrying for someone else.

At the airport, he sat beside her while she checked their boarding passes.

His feet didn’t reach the floor.

He leaned against her arm for a while, watching travelers pass with coats, bags, and children of their own.

Then he looked down at the toy car.

For days, he’d held it without opening it.

Now he began picking at the edge of the packaging.

Leah helped loosen the plastic, careful of his injured hand.

He lifted the little car out and turned it over.

“Mom?”

She put the empty packaging away.

“Does our new home have windows?”

Her throat tightened.

“Yes. The sun will come in every morning.”

He considered that, running a finger along the car’s roof.

“And no one will come for money?”

“No.”

“No more paying Dad’s debt?”

“No more.”

He looked up at her.

She didn’t add a promise about his father. She didn’t tell him Matteo would understand someday, or that he’d come looking once he realized they were gone.

Those weren’t things Finn needed to carry.

She could tell him about their home.

She could tell him there would be light.

That was enough for now.

The boarding announcement sounded.

Leah checked the gate number and stood.

Finn tucked the car into his pocket. This time, he reached for her hand before she offered it.

She picked up their bag.

Around them, people gathered their belongings and joined the line. No one knew what they were leaving behind.

Leah was glad.

They didn’t need to explain themselves to walk through a gate.

Finn glanced back once, toward the seats where they’d been waiting.

Then he looked ahead.

She led him toward the plane.

This time, she wasn’t leaving a door open for Matteo.

She was taking her son home.