As the door slammed shut with a resounding bang, a bolt of thunder cracked across the sky. Rain pounded the ground, weaving a roaring curtain of water.
Dragging her suitcase behind her like a lifeless marionette, Kirsten walked straight into the downpour.
The freezing rain drenched her within seconds, turning her into a sodden mess. Yet somehow it felt cleansing—like a baptism, washing away every lingering trace of Marion from her skin.
She tossed her suitcase into the trunk and started the car. The windshield wipers swung frantically, but they couldn't clear the blurred world before her, just as she could no longer see the past eight years clearly.
The only place she could go now was her best friend Bella Evans' apartment.
The city streets were nearly empty, and her mind was too. At
