The following morning, I woke up with a sense of clarity I hadn’t felt in years. The lake’s icy embrace had jolted me awake in more ways than one. As the sun filtered through the blinds, painting stripes on the wooden floor, I knew what I had to do.
I packed my bags silently, careful not to alert my family. The cabin was quiet, the only sound the distant chirping of birds greeting the dawn. My heart raced, but there was an unfamiliar steadiness in my movements. Each item I placed in my suitcase was a step away from the past.
