[ The corner of her mouth quirks up around her cigarette in a humorless smile. ]

Sometimes there is no point. [ A pause, as she lights up and takes a drag. ] I'm not tougher than anyone. I kept going because I had no choice.

[ There were plenty of times she tried to end it. Some efforts were more elaborate, others more impulsive. None of them ever stuck. So she lived with the emptiness because she had to. ]

But there's a fucking point now. So. Here we are.