Hope and Garett burst through the door, cheeks flushed from playing outside.

  "Mum! Mum!" Hope bounces on her toes. "Can we have biscuits?"

  "After you wash your hands." Anne sets Finn in his cradle and moves to the stove where soup simmers. "And use soap this time, not just water."

  The twins race to the sink, elbowing each other. Anne watches them with a mixture of love and sadness. They're six now—the same age Charlotte had been in her nightmares.

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  Did Charlotte have friends? Was she happy? Did Mark and Malina treat her well?

  The questions haunt Anne constantly.

  "Mum?" Garett tugs on her skirt. "Why are you sad?"

  Anne blinks back tears. "I'm not sad, love. Just thinking."

  "About what?"

  "About how lucky I am to have you." She ruffles his hair. "Now go set the table. Your da will be home soon."

  After the children scatter, Anne stands at the window and watches the sun sink toward the hills. Somewhere out there, Charlotte is growing up. Learning. Changing. Becoming someone Anne will never know.

  The grief never gets easier. She's just learned to carry it better.