Chapter 4

When I walked out the door, night had already fallen.

The streetlights along the road lit up one after another, stretching my shadow long, then pulling it short, and then long again.

I didn't cry. It felt like there was an empty hole in my chest, and the wind slipped right in, leaving me feeling chilly.

My phone buzzed. It was Eric. He asked, "How did it go?"

I said, "It's over for good."

He said, "Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you."

Twenty minutes later, Eric's car pulled up to the curb.

He got out, didn't ask…