THE SILENCE THAT BREAKS HOME

light over the house. Margaret moved through the rooms with a calm efficiency, packing a small suitcase by the door. It

did not ask questions nor argue. He just nodded when she said she was going to visit

ly glanced at Emily, their fifteen-year-old daughter, and did not even look at Anna, the youngest. Maybe it was eas

n she w

wo. Two weeks eventually became a m

the change in the air. The house grew heavier, the unanswered questions piling up like dust in the corners. Emily stepped into

engers. Margaret had sent people to deliver her message that she was

y stood by the door, her arms crossed, and her jaw clenched. Anna sat on the

would be keeping James and Peter. "I

ard's voice was sha

with you. That

was split, not just by distance but by somethi