Chapter 196: The Long Version

Charlotte The hospital wasn’t as bad as I thought. The previous time I was there, I only stayed for 24 hours before I skedaddled as quickly as I could because I didn’t like the smell of medicine, old people, and crazy people—all three of which happened to be in the same place at the same time. But I had found the most perfect spot in the world, a small clearing not too far from the main building. It was just a stone’s throw away from the entrance, toward the left. All I had to do was breach the thin canopy of trees, and there it was—a gentle roll of a hill leading upwards toward a single tree. I had spent most of my time there, simply not caring about much else. In fact, I was there now, sitting under the tree, scrolling through my phone, mindlessly browsing social media. I checked in on Richard, just to see how he was doing, and according to the news, he wasn’t doing too badly. Most of his acting gigs had been sent back to him, with Laura, of course, charging double the price for