My mother-in-law changed the locks and kicked me and my children out after my husband died – that was her biggest mistake.

Once the children were asleep, I walked around Ryan’s office. His presence was everywhere: in the worn leather armchair shaped like his body, in the coffee cup always placed on the desk, and in the family photo placed where he could see it while he worked.

I took the photo and traced his face with my finger.

“You knew,” I whispered. “You knew she might try something like that.”

In the silence, I could almost hear his reply: “Of course I knew. That’s why I made sure you and the children were taken care of.”