When the call finally ended, I sat on the edge of the bed in the heavy silence of the hotel room.

Three days earlier, I had walked out of my home carrying just one suitcase, my laptop, that red folder, and enough sheer determination to keep my knees from shaking until I reached my car.

I had driven straight to my closest friend Chloe’s apartment.

Chloe had opened her door, looked at my packed suitcase, and asked me a single simple question.

“Do you want a warm cup of tea, or do you just want complete silence right now?”