Forgiven

Clara

For a second Cora just stared at me, like she didn’t trust her eyes. Then she gave a sound that was half laugh and half gasp, and she hurried toward me with a happiness that felt almost childlike.

“Clara,” she said, voice shaking. “Oh my God. You’re here.”

Before I could speak, she hugged me tightly. I stood still for a moment, then hugged her back, feeling her warmth and her trembling hands