I heard the first wet slap of concrete hitting water.
I could not move.
I gripped the windowsill and stared as thick gray sludge began to pour into the deep end.
Into the pool my husband built.
Into the water where my children laughed every single day.
I heard the first wet slap of concrete hitting water.
“Mom?” a small voice called from behind me.
My daughter stood in the hallway, rubbing her eyes.
“What’s that noise?”
I forced my voice steady, though everything inside me was breaking.
“Go back to your room, sweetheart,” I said. “Take your brothers and sister with you. I’ll handle it.”
She hesitated, then obeyed.
“Take your brothers and sister with you. I’ll handle it.”
I watched Katherine tilt her face up toward my window.
She knew I was there.
She wanted me to see.
Every apology I had ever swallowed rose up in my throat at once.
