“It’s just what, Dad?” My voice was softer now, the sharp edge of anger worn away by my need to understand. “Why would you ruin something so important to me?”

He looked at me, really looked at me then, and I saw the ghost of regret in his eyes. “You remind me so much of her,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Mom. The unspoken name that lingered between us like a shadow. She’d been the fire in our family, burning bright and fierce, and when she left, she’d taken the warmth with her. Dad had tried to fill the void with silence, a quiet that had deafened us both.