my property or contacting me about money.
Outside the courtroom, he stopped beside me.
“Are you happy now?”
“No.”
“Then what was the point?”
“The point was that you finally heard the word no.”
He looked toward Lily, who was waiting beside Laura.
“You turned my daughter against me.”
Lily stepped forward.
“Grandma didn’t make you write those messages.”
Richard’s face tightened.
“One day you’ll understand what it costs to provide for a family.”
“I already understand,” Lily said.
“I watched Grandma do it without taking from anyone.”
Richard walked away without another word.
Lily slipped her arm through mine.
“Can I visit you in Australia next summer?”
“You can visit me wherever I happen to be.”
Arthur cleared his throat.
“That may require a very flexible plane ticket.”
Six months later, we stood on the deck of a small ship leaving Sydney Harbour.
Eleanor was beside me, holding the
