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I shook my head.

“So yes,” I admitted, “I started partying a bit too hard to avoid thinking about what had happened. Eventually, drugs and alcohol became my way of coping.”

“What about now?” Logan asked. “What about when you go home?”

“I want things to be different,” I said honestly. “Self-destructive habits are only going to lead to… well, self-destruction. Either I’m already addicted or it would have become inevitable if I continued the way I was going.”

I gave a humorless smile. “I’m not going to thank Tyler, though. Not when his motives for bringing me here weren’t exactly pure.”

With the last of the words finally spoken, I sat back in my chair, surprised by how much lighter I felt. The pain hadn’t vanished, but the pressure inside me had eased, as though I’d finally opened a valve before something ruptured.

Apparently, talking really could help.

If that was the only lesson I took from my time here, the stay might still have been worthwhile. Maybe when I went home, I could see a therapist. Someone whose job it was to listen while I revisited the same things over and over until they stopped feeling impossible to say aloud.

Logan smiled.

It was still a strange disconnect, knowing I’d had sex with his body while he had absolutely no memory of it. That alone made me glad I would soon be leaving him and the clinic behind.

I zoned out for the rest of the meeting, too emotionally drained to provide the support the others deserved. I suspected they understood. When the meeting finally ended, I remained in my chair as everyone filed out. Everyone except Laura, who stayed beside me.

She was silent for a while, as though choosing her words carefully. Finally, she settled on, “Shit story, Rowan.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

“Makes my parental troubles seem pathetic.”

I turned toward her. “I don’t think it’s meant to be a competition.”

“No. I guess not.” She stood and held out a hand. “Come on.”

I eyed it suspiciously. “Where are we going?”

“Edward’s forest walk starts in half an hour, and we’re going to be at the front of the queue.”

I groaned. “Why?”

“Distraction. Fresh air. Something to moan about. Other people’s company. An excuse not to sit alone in your room. Pick a reason.”

I accepted her hand and let her pull me to my feet. “Sounds good.”

I glared at the payphone as though it bore some responsibility for my current problem. I might have been leaving the next day, but I still hadn’t worked out how.

I’d tried three cab firms. One was completely booked for the following day. Another refused to make pickups from the facility for reasons it wouldn’t disclose, although I assumed unpleasant encounters with patients in the past were to blame. The third refused to travel that far outside its usual area.

There was no way I was calling Tyler. Even if I did, what were the chances he’d answer after ignoring every previous call? I’d considered asking some of my other friends. Unfortunately, once I’d eliminated those I didn’t want knowing about the clinic and those who couldn’t take time off work, the grand total of available candidates was zero.

There was only one remaining option, and whether it qualified as viable was debatable.

I took a deep breath and made the call. It rang four times before someone answered. “John Harrington. How may I be of assistance?”

I rolled my eyes. God forbid my father should ever answer his own phone rather than routing everything through his personal secretary.

“It’s me.”

A long pause followed.

“Rowan,” I added through gritted teeth. “Put my father on.”