CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR – LOST AND CONFUSED

"I can't do this," she whispered to the empty night. "I don't know how to fix this." The confession, spoken aloud for the first time, seemed to hang in the air around her. It was terrifying, this admission of helplessness. But there was also a strange sort of relief in finally acknowledging it. Charlotte sat there for a long time, the gentle creak of the swing the only sound. Her mind raced through scenarios, weighing options, searching desperately for a solution that didn't involve leaving everything she loved behind. But as the eastern sky began to lighten, the first pale streaks of dawn painting the horizon, she knew what she had to do. It wasn't a perfect plan - far from it. But it was the only one she had. Rising from the swing, her legs stiff from the cold and immobility, Charlotte set off towards her flat with renewed determination. There was a lot to arrange, and very little time to do it in. She unlocked her door, moving quickly to gather the few possessions she couldn't