But then another question arose.

Why had Alex stayed by my side all this time?

I remained silent for a long time, gathering my strength, and finally asked him quietly. Alex glanced toward the window for a moment, as if choosing his words.

Then he sighed and calmly said that at first he simply couldn’t leave me alone. He had seen the state I was in and understood that if he left, I would have to face all of this again without support.

But it turned out it wasn’t just that.

Alex admitted that while I slept, he helped the doctors contact the police and gave them everything I had told him. The doctors confirmed the presence of a strong tranquilizer in my blood, and that was enough to start an investigation. The next day, the police were already searching for Daniel.

At the train station, my husband bought me a coffee and insisted that I drink it all, and after a few sips, my vision went dark

I listened to him and felt a strange, unusual feeling — calm — emerge inside me for the first time in a long while.

My life had not yet become easier. Ahead were interviews with investigators, long proceedings, and the need to rebuild my life. But the most important thing had already happened.

I was no longer alone and no longer trapped.

And when Alex asked where I would go after discharge, I smiled for the first time in a long while and quietly replied:

— To the sea. But this time — where I choose myself.