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ign it,
oth. Polished. Like the ma
text. It felt like a physical blo
the grounds of the
Clinical. A brand stamped onto t
her shoulder. His fingers nervously adjusted his rimless glasses, pushing them higher up the b
as a raw whisper. "
ed but di
. He tapped the signature line with the tip of a gold-plated pen. A sh
we don't ha
es of their life together flickered through her mind. Laughing in their tiny first apartment. Painting t
e a movie about so
?" she asked, her last shred
hought he might finally say something r
, the familiar excuse tumbl
y mother... she just
ich had been aching, simply went still. A
hesitate
he ink was black and final. Deana
on the table. The click was sof
ents were graceful, almost serene. She walked towards t
t. A small, aborted movement. The ghost of
door open and stepp
behind her, sealing he
ble wall, dragging in a shaky br
oked down at the simple gold band on her r
as pale, a faint indentation marking the place it
f her coat, a small, cold weight again
doors slid open, and her reflection stared back at her from t
ke a slap, sharp and unforgiving. It
ith a familiar rumble. She sat behind the wheel, hands gripping th
d in her purse.
Price. Her now
your personal things out of the house
ausea rose in her th
be
tle transition. All they needed was
spreading through her veins. The grief she'd
arted
the house she had share
p for the highway, heading out o
pulled out her phone and dia
Her voic
wrong? You
aid, the words tasting l
by a string of curses dire
e," Deana said, her voice flat.
on't do anything craz
ade up. There was noth
said. "I just..
further. Then, she turned her phone off comp
The car surged forward, merging into the riv
ceded in her rearview mirror, until it
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