Garrett was prohibited from contacting me or entering the hospital floor. Rachel helped arrange a private recovery residence after my discharge. Priya began preparing separation papers.
Each decision felt impossibly large.
Then it was made, and the world continued.
At two, a delivery arrived.
A nurse brought in a vase of white roses.
There was no card.
My first instinct was fear. Garrett always sent white roses after he hurt me. He said red flowers were vulgar and lilies smelled like funerals.
Elena noticed my expression.
“Do you want them removed?”
“Yes.”
She lifted the vase.
As she did, a folded piece of paper slipped from beneath the base and landed on the floor.
Elena picked it up but did not open it.
“This was hidden underneath.”
I told her to give it to Detective Ruiz.
An hour later, Ruiz returned carrying the note inside a clear sleeve.
“It contains only one sentence,” she said.
