An agreement that allowed my late wife and me to take her children.

I felt a deep wave of shame wash over me.

I had been so focused on my grief, so focused on my business, that I had ignored the truth right in front of me.

I heard the soft thud of footsteps on the stairs.

Lucas and Owen were coming down, holding Ruth’s hands.

Their eyes were sleepy, their hair messy from sleep.

“Daddy?” Lucas asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Where are we going?”

“We are going to see Claire,” I said, kneeling down to their eye level.

“Is Claire sick?” Owen asked, holding his stuffed bear tightly.

“She was sick, but she is going to be okay,” I said.

“She wants to see you.”

They both smiled, their faces lighting up instantly.

The pure love they had for her was undeniable.

They didn’t know her as the quiet housekeeper who cleaned our rooms.

They knew her as the person who listened to them, who cared for them, who loved them.

“Let’s go,” I said, opening the heavy front door.