Maman looked at Isabelle. In the icy depths of her eyes, something was shifting and cracking. Isabelle saw it and saw that her mother was helpless to stop it. “You are strong. So strong,” Maman said. “I saw that in you when you were a tiny baby. It has always frightened me, your strength. I would rock you in my arms and wonder, Where is there a place in the world for such a strong girl?”
