The first thing Tessa did that morning was to discard her phone. She first broke it before throwing it far away early while on her way out of the house.
The city outside was still gray with dawn when she slipped into the waiting cab. She carried one suitcase, light enough to look casual, heavy enough to contain the few belongings she took to Derek’s house. She called a cab instead of using the driver and when Nola, the housekeeper asked where she was headed and what note they would drop for Derek, she simply responded with: “I will drop him a note.” She knew she wasn’t going to but needed to leave without drama.
It was a quiet forty-minute drive through the sleeping streets. The city had not yet begun its morning arguments, only the occasional horn, the faint smell of diesel, and calm c
