Emma Signed Over Her Kitchen Island to Keep Toby Safe in Massachusetts

was scheduled for the following Tuesday.

I reached into my pocket and touched the small piece of paper I had copied from our bank statement earlier that afternoon.

Upstairs, the floorboards creaked as Toby moved around his room.

Then came the sharp scratch of his yellow pencil against paper, followed by his small voice calling down the stairs.

“Mom, I continue reading …