On Our 21st Birthday, We Received a Mysterious Box—We Gasped When We Saw What Was Inside

where Leila slept facing the wall and I stared at Nora’s empty bed until morning.

After Nora, birthdays became strange.
There were still balloons, cake, and candles.

But there was always one chair missing.

Every year, Leila and I would sit beside each other, pretending not to look at the empty space where Nora should have continue reading …