I Let My Stepdaughter Think She’d Taken Over My House

of his shirts and put them inside.

“No.”

Another shirt. Socks. Underwear.

“You are.”

For the first time all day, he looked scared.

“Karen, don’t do this.”

I zipped the suitcase. Rolled it to the landing. Then another. I packed enough for a week. Maybe two. He watched with both hands hanging useless at his sides.

At the bottom of the stairs I set the luggage continue reading …