My Parents Went to Aspen for Christmas Without Me—So I Rehomed the Dog and Kept the Paperwork

through the suddenly silent house. My mother was still sitting in her chair, mascara beginning to run from tears she hadn’t yet shed. My father stood frozen with the lien papers clutched in his white-knuckled hands. Tyler stared at his phone, probably watching Emma’s location dot move farther and farther away from him.

My mother finally spoke, her voice continue reading …