Take this money. It is an account I have fed in secret for ten years.

Run, my love. If they become too heavy, drop the weight. You have earned your life back.

Leave them to the fire.

He’d included the account numbers, the routing information, and a VIP contact at a travel agency.

I looked up from the letter to the mirror. The weary, hollow-eyed woman staring back suddenly looked different. The grief that had been crushing my chest evaporated.

I didn’t feel sadness. I felt an absolute, terrifying clarity.