Chapter 3 - The Cost of Leaving
By Monday the dinner had changed much of Maren's life. Her charge nurse moved her off pediatrics after a parent recognized Nolan and questioned Maren's safety. Nolan canceled the card that paid their mortgage and told her the condo was his until she "came home reasonable." The restaurant's investors postponed the expansion vote, freezing the payroll line Judith had guaranteed with her retirement. Maren stayed with Judith but kept her suitcase zipped, as if unpacking made the separation real. She still defended the restaurant. Twenty-three workers depended on its health plan, including her brother Seth and his pregnant wife. Judith wanted Maren to file for protection. Maren said no. "One report, and Nolan calls this sabotage. The bank panics. People lose coverage." That night she turned Judith's kitchen glass a quarter-turn, then immediately straightened it. Judith pretended not to notice. Now their old signal looked less like a plea than a habit Maren was trying to erase from her mind.
