Chapter 43

• Kate sat on the marble veranda floor of her family's house. She had driven home to pick up some things she needed to be comfortable enough; an excuse she had given her boss, who had taken a liking to her, to allow her to travel home and bask in the memories of the loving moments her family home held.
• She sat there staring into the nothingness of the suburbs. The smell of hustle, and the bustling energy of her neighborhood. The sight of boys and girls with nothing but dreams in their hands attempting to take on the world, as she had done. She had taken a job since her senior year in high school to support her mum, who had quit her job after being diagnosed with cancer. And since that day she came home with a white envelope containing her test result, her life had spiraled down. Kate had grown up sooner than most of her peers ever had to. She knew she had to give life everything she's got because she was already behind, and life's odds were instantly stacked against her.
• Kate lifted her hands, took a deep breath, and exhaled.