the photograph or the effect it had on the room.
Claire sat beside him in a navy dress, pale and perfectly still.
She looked smaller without the beige coat.
For the first time, I noticed the shadows under her eyes. She did not look like a woman who had slept well. Her hands remained folded on the table in front of her, but her left thumb rubbed the side of her right hand again and again, the motion hidden unless someone knew how to watch for fear.
Nathan sat two rows behind Maya. His knees bounced until Lily reached over and placed her small hand on his leg.
He stopped immediately.
The twins did not attend the hearing itself, only the waiting room with Dr. Patel and their foster mother, Ms. Paula. That was one blessing.
The judge reviewed the new information without theatrics. She was a woman in her
