Prologue

A woman sits alone under the flickering lights of a bus station on the border between Roseville and Citrus Heights, hoping to catch the last bus headed towards the light rail station. This late at night, so few people are around waiting for buses or trains, especially in that city. The only people still left around are much like the man she sees waiting at the bus stop across from her, delved way too deep into a smoking cigarette, where one would have to wonder if the man is consuming the cigarette or if the cigarette is consuming him. She couldn’t judge however, she knew better than that. A notification rings from inside her purse, something inside of her tells her that it’s the inevitable text she would always be bound to receive, a text as unavoidable as the cigarette smoke lingering across the bust terminal from the man’s cigarette.

you’re nothing without me

Her lips seem to grasp the words from mid-air and her tongue helps her swallow those words from the cold air they were taken from. Strangely, she liked the taste of the words filling her throat. They were almost a reminder, an affirmation, or a mandate towards her newly found freedom. A bittersweet smile appears on her face and her fingers quickly tap on her phone’s screen to send another message before blocking the number forever.

no. i’m everything without you