My name is Laura Hartley.
And until that morning, I had not stood face-to-face with my ex-husband in thirteen years.
1
I saw Michael beside the registration desk at 8:12 a.m.
I remember the exact time because I had just looked at my phone to make sure Noah and Nathan had enough time to check in before the doors closed.
The State Academic Excellence Championship was being held at the Franklin Convention Center in Hartford, a sprawling modern building full of glass walls, polished floors, banners from universities, and nervous teenagers wearing school blazers.
The lobby smelled of coffee, printer ink, and rain.
Students stood in clusters clutching calculators, project binders, engineering models, and identification cards.
Teachers hurried between registration tables.
Parents photographed everything.
I was looking for the sign marked
REGION FOUR CHECK-IN
when I heard a laugh that I had once known better than my own.
My body recognized it before my mind did.
