I let out a tiny breath. “It’s been busy at the club. Everyone’s rushing. Lots of rides out.” I shrug like it’s nothing, even though the words scrape at my throat. “It’s normal club stuff. They never tell us what’s going on.”
She nods. “And how does that make you feel?”
“Like I’m standing outside my own life.” I force a small smile. “But that’s nothing new, is it?”
She studies me, the way she always does when she senses something I haven’t said.
“You sound very certain today,” she says softly.
“I needed certainty.” I pause, picking at a thread on my sleeve. “I think I’ve closed some doors in my mind. I know what I need now.”
Her brow dips just slightly. “And what’s that?”
I meet her eyes. Calm. Too calm. “To move on. One way or another.”
She exhales slowly, understanding something, but not all of it. “Eden, healing doesn’t always require a change of circumstance.”
“Sometimes it does,” I reply quietly.
She doesn’t push. She rarely does.
We use the hour to go over strategies. How to deal with my triggers, and what helps to ground me. For once we don’t talk about Kade or our relationship.
At the end, Helen hands me a leaflet, support resources she calls it, and wishes me luck. She never says goodbye. I think she’s trained not to.
Outside, the cool air hits my face. I walk to the bank with new steadiness in my steps.
Banks always feel too bright. Too clean and clinical. A little like a library, but with more noise.
I approach the desk, forcing a polite smile. “Hi. I need to make a change to my account.”
The woman taps away at her keyboard. “Your name?”
“Eden Mae Calloway.” I slide my bank card towards her and she begins to enter the details onto the computer.
“And what can I do for you?”
“I’d like to remove myself from the joint account.”
The woman’s fingers still. “Of course. You understand that once removed, you will no longer have access or visibility to this account?”
“Yes.”
“You sure you wouldn’t like to transfer any funds first?”
“No.” The answer comes too easily.
She frowns. “It’s a substantial balance.”
“I know.”
She looks at me a moment longer than necessary, as though trying to work me out, then nods and proceeds. “Alright. Removing you now.” Another tap and then she smiles. “Done. Anything else?”
“Yes.” I reach into my bag and pull out a thick envelope. The same one Kade shoved across his office desk the night he told me to leave. Six thousand pounds. All cash. “I’d like to open a new account in my name only.” My voice doesn’t shake. “I want to deposit this.”
“All of it today?”
“Yes.”
