Page 108 of Tipping Point

“Don’t!” Cam wipes at her own eyes, motions for me to sit down. Hope looks between us wide eyed.

Cam clears her throat. “Shall we get back to it?”

I look at Hope for confirmation. She nods.

I nod at Cam.

She glances down at her phone. I can see her working through her list of questions.

“How did the accident shape your life?” she asks.

She’s such a brilliant journalist. It’s such a flyaway sentence, such a casual question. And yet, it’s the very core of who I am.

Who I was.

“It ended it.”

“Please-”

“Right.” I clear my throat. “The accident didn’t shape my life, it ended it completely.”

I turn to Hope, who’s looking at me questioningly.

“I couldn’t bear the fact that I had robbed someone of a life.” My eyes travel to Grace, beside Hope. “I wanted to end my life.”

Hope is crying again.

“But I couldn’t, not yet.” I swallow. “I needed to make sure you were taken care of first.”

I gesture at the room, at Grace, at Hope. “You and your brother.”

She nods.

“For fifteen years, I put all my money aside for you.”

Her eyes grow large and round.

“It’s millions.” I laugh at the look on her face.

“What?”

“Yeah. I hardly spent it at all. Apart from a necklace. A pretty expensive one.” I turn and smile at Camille. She doesn’t smile back.

“And when my contract didn’t get renewed, I knew now was the time.”

“The time for what?” Hope cocks her head.

“To take my life.” I gesture at the sling.

She gasps, brings her hand to her mouth. Murmurs chase each other through the room. Only Camille stands quiet, eyes back on the monitor.

“But…why?”

“I couldn’t forgive myself.” My eyes travel over Grace’s prostate form, her hands folded peacefully on her chest.

“I thought it would free me.”

“From what?”

---