I didn’t get up. I just sat there looking at the note.

Sarah reached for the folder but stopped. “The lawyer will be here in the morning.”

I stood up then. My legs were stiff.

She watched me. “You don’t have to go yet.”

I picked up the note and put it in my pocket. The paper crinkled a little.

Sarah stood up too. “Tom will call you. He wants to talk.”

I walked to the front door. The living room felt different with her jacket on the couch.

She followed me. “I’m sorry it happened this way.”

I opened the door and stepped outside. The sun was bright on the driveway.

The car was where I left it. I got in and started the engine.

The note was in my pocket. The cottage was gone.

That was the end of it.