Her car is packed. She has filled the trunk with suitcases full of clothes and small mementos from the house. The cardboard box full of her father's letters is nestled neatly between two of the suitcases. At this moment it is her most important possession.
She lets herself into the house via the back door in the kitchen. There is something she needs lying on the counter there. It is a bouquet of red roses. She picks them up gently and makes her way to the gazebo.
Tenderly, she lays the roses down in front of her mother's grave. She kneels down next to the tombstone and begins talking to her, as if her mother were there in front of her.
When she is finished, she walks to her car and gets in. She gazes up at the house, staring at it for a long time. She is on a mission now, a healing mission, and the first step is to close this chapter of her life and begin anew. Finding her father is next.
She starts the car, grips the steering wheel, and drives away.
THE END OF PART ONE
 
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