Elizabeth closed the door to the room she had left Elle in, feeling numb to the fact it showed no signs that a woman Francesca had grown up with had ever been there at all.
She returned to her bedroom, sat at her desk, and set out a fresh sheet of paper. Before she had even written a single word she changed her mind and exchanged the paper for a notebook. It was her last remaining blank notebook - a dark magenta Leuchtturm branded book because that was the only brand she would ever buy for herself. Her mother had favored the same ones, and it was a preference she had picked up without realizing why.
She glanced towards the door to make sure it was firmly shut, and then scrawled the date in the top corner of the first page.
After that, she began to write.
This time it was not notes abou
