DARLIN
For three years I walked all the way down to the bottom—and then came back… The poison sank into my thoughts and my body. Going any lower was simply impossible.
San Francisco gave me a second breath. The chance to start over with a clean slate and finally understand who I am. To return to dancing…
This time, I won’t back down.
And least of all did I want to run into a new neighbor here—a future lawyer and an inflexible moralist. I couldn’t have imagined that a single look from him could warm me.
But as I fell into this quiet, healing feeling, I understood more and more clearly: “If you tell him the truth, he’ll never look at you the same again.”
SAWYER
Exams, hearings, endless paperwork—every minute I was balanced on the edge, knowing that one day I would break.
There was no desire or strength left for dates. Even I could barely keep myself above water.
And suddenly we’re sitting at the same table, having dinner—with Darlin. A mistake.
She swept into my life like a hurricane—light, almost weightless. As if she’d been made to break the wall I’d built to keep the world out.
What can I give her, really? Only pain. Only loss.
And will I be able to stand beside someone whose past is one big lie?