My hand hovered over the pen while Georgina watched me with steady eyes. “Cordelia, once you sign, there is no going back,” she said. I thought of the blue ribbon in the trash, the empty chairs at my graduation, and the blizzard walk. Then my phone buzzed on the table. It was Aunt Opal, and her voice shook. “Your mother just hired a lawyer,” she whispered.

Before I could answer, tires crunched on the gravel outside. Through the window I saw a black sedan, and Vivienne stepping out in her cream coat, with Delphine and a man holding a thick envelope behind her. Homer appeared at my kitchen door, breathing hard. “Cordelia, they are not here about the house,” he said. “Look at what they brought.” My stomach dropped as the man raised the envelope.