Morning comes, and I still haven't slept.
Elliot appears at my door, quite early, with his face serious.
"Katherine's leaving."
"What?"
"She booked a flight to San Francisco. It's a one-way ticket, and she's leaving today at 2 PM."
San Francisco. The job offer she turned down two months ago. The escape she almost took before Diane attacked.
My blood runs cold. "She's running."
"Yes, and if you don't stop her, she won't come back." Elliot's voice was analytical but concerned. "Statistically, people who run from trauma don't return. They relocate permanently, avoidance becomes the new normal."
"How long have you known?"
"She called me last night. After you went to the guest room and asked me to water her plants."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I'm telling you now. You have-" he checks his watch, "four hours and seventeen minutes."
I was already moving.
