“I thought leaving would fix it. The job. The marriage. The silence between us that got so damn loud I couldn’t sleep anymore. I packed up, drove off, told myself I was reclaiming my freedom.

But freedom doesn’t feel like crying in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven because you forgot what your favorite food was. It doesn’t feel like hearing your own voice echo in an empty apartment and realizing it sounds like someone else’s.

Turns out, you can’t outrun yourself. No matter how far you go, your shadow makes the trip with you.”