I was holding everything in my left hand because my right arm was in searing pain. Before I inched my way out of Juleen’s room, I noticed her violin case. I bent down in a squat—easier than bending at the waist—and picked it up. The extra weight was hitting me in waves of pain, but I couldn’t leave without it. Although she wasn’t anywhere close to the prodigy that Gabe was, she loved that violin.

I knew I couldn’t go out the front door. They might still be out there, waiting for me. I had to follow the plan I had formulated with Juleen should a break-in like this happen in this apartment.

Lock your door, jump out the window, and run like hell.

And she had executed it perfectly. The back window was still halfway open. I couldn’t lift it any higher. Too much pain and too little strength. Luckily, I was small in stature—not like Juleen, but I could squeeze through. I pitched the bags out the window along with my purse. I took the violin case in my left hand, held it close to my body, and hoped for the best. When I landed, I nearly passed out as agony ripped through my right side. But I got to my feet, gripped the bags and my purse, and started the block walk to my car.

I realized my face was probably a mess. One eye was shut closed; the other was bloated, but at least I could see out of it if I squinted. I probably would have looked like a homeless lady to anyone still out on the streets. But this was Los Angeles. No one walked. And even if there had been someone, one look at me and eyes would have been averted. No one wanted to see ugliness. Furthermore, no one cared.

I never parked in front of my apartment, but Devek had caught up with me anyway. Normally my husband was mild-mannered and even wimpy. But his gambling over the last three years had put him on edge. He had tried desperate measures to get money, and in his last couple of ventures, he had crossed the line. I had to leave.

I had to leave.

I was constantly on high alert, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t praying. Gabe had converted to Judaism, and my two younger children were Hindu. I was born Catholic. I wasn’t choosy about who was up there as long as God was listening. And as soon as I managed to fish out my car’s fob and unlock the door, I said my thanks. I opened the back door and stuffed my belongings inside. Once behind the wheel, I locked the door and took a deep breath.