Michaela
As Gavin poured his heart out to me, I saw his story unroll like a series of pictures in my mind.
The skinny young lawyer who’d found me in the forest and helped me build a new life hadn’t gone into the woods for a hike. He’d gone with a rope, looking for a sturdy branch to tie a noose to, far enough away from other people that nobody would have to see his body afterwards.
He’d been as ready to die as I was, that day. His awful family and the harm they caused, the immense pressure of his work, his feeling of failure at all the struggling people he couldn’t help – they’d overwhelmed him completely. I understood that feeling too.
“If I hadn’t found you…” Gavin said raggedly. He shook his head. “I know I wouldn’t be here today. At first it was just that you were there, you ne
