As the morning light dawned, Catherine Ford opened her eyes.
Alice was still asleep next to her. Catherine got up and began to pack things. By eight o'clock, she sent a message to Benjamin Jones, who replied with a simple "okay." She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, woke Alice up, wrapped the little girl in a thick down jacket, covered her face, then held Alice's hand with one hand and carried the luggage with the other as they went downstairs, only to run into Foster Newman searching for them at the doorstep.
Catherine's heart clenched, but seeing that he was mostly sober and it was broad daylight, she felt less panicked than before. With a cold glance, she picked up Alice intending to walk past Foster, but he grabbed her suitcase in passing.
"Let go," Catherine turned her head, looking at Foster who seemed disheveled as if he hadn't slept all night.
