Amelia POV

I have learned to walk like I do not hear footsteps that echo half a beat too late, to smile at strangers even when their eyes linger as if they are searching for something they misplaced years ago. Los Angeles sunlight does not hide shadows; it sharpens them. I feel them stretch behind me every time I leave the house with Ethan, every time I take the boy to school, every time I stand at the market pretending to compare oranges while my skin prickles with awareness.

I know I am ...