Alice finds herself in an unexpected conflict when Jason’s estranged parents arrive and demand the house he left behind. Determined and grieving, she consents to take their claim into consideration—but only if they can provide an answer to the one question that plagued Jason right up until his dying days.

For Jason and me, that turning point in our lives occurred when we were seventeen years old. I will never forget the day he arrived at my door with a broken heart and only a backpack, his eyes stained with tears.

Without even providing a valid explanation, his parents had thrown him out like he was nothing. With a single glance at him, my mother knew without hesitation. He became a member of our family that day.

Through all of the difficult high school years and the strain of college, we relied on one another. Since people are complex and I enjoy deciphering them, I decided to pursue a career in human resources. Jason? He was a computer whiz who could always figure out what I couldn’t.

As a team, we properly balanced one another. Then, four years ago, life dealt us the most devastating blow conceivable.

Bone cancer was the diagnosis made for Jason. It seemed as though the cosmos had decided it was time to level the playing field since we had experienced too many prosperous years.