I really do think this is for the best.

For everyone.” I did not answer him.

I did not turn around.

I opened the door, and I walked out into the night, carrying my son’s dinosaur and everything that was left of my life in a single hard-shell suitcase.

Chapter 5 — The Hotel

I drove to a quiet hotel near downtown Austin, and I paid for a room, and I locked the door behind me.