Since Frazer had walked away that afternoon, Cora had been in a daze. Everything all day had felt sliced open, raw. The air grated against her exposed nerve endings. Patients skimmed over the edges of her consciousness, when she should have been focussed on them.

Something had passed between Cora and Frazer over that table, barely with any words, but Cora had seen the look on Frazer’s face, the glittering in her eyes, and realised: it was over. Frazer had walked away, and this time it was with both of them understanding the other, without the need to say it.

It had left her feeling as if she’d been flayed raw, with everything settling against her to scrape at what was left. Maybe, in a few days, Cora would be able to approach Frazer to ask why, to ask what, to ask when. But not yet; not when everything felt like it did.

Cora needed a break, even if that just meant avoiding confrontation for a while.

A break would be amazing.

In the meantime, her old life was clouding around her, and Cora gathered what strength she had left to walk down the hallway. Her eyes didn’t scan the photographs on the wall, and she tried to ignore the simple familiarity, a comfort despite everything, of walking down a hallway she knew, the floor beneath her feet ghosted with thousands of her past steps. Dull, early-evening light filled the kitchen when she and Lisa walked in. It was not so dark that they needed to switch on the lights, yet not so bright that it avoided creating the hush that gloom often did.

Cora placed down the large cardboard box she’d been carrying, a huge suitcase next to it. Lisa immediately took her own case down into the living room. Before leaving, they’d decided Lisa would pack the books while Cora collected other things.

It didn’t take long, which was both a relief and a surprise.

Kitchen items, gifts specifically for Cora, ended up in the box—items from her grandparents, some photo albums, her mug collection.

All of it.

“I’m just going to get the last of my clothes.”

Lisa straightened. “Want me to come?”

With a shake of her head, Cora said, “No, it’s okay. It won’t take long. Just the clothes, more bathroom stuff, and the painting in the guest bedroom.”

She already had half of the books piled in. “Okay.” She pulled another book off the shelf, opening it to check for Cora’s name before adding it to the case.