The fundraiser closed at midnight on Sunday. The final tally was two point four million dollars. It was enough to cover the operating budget for six months. It was enough to keep the safe houses open. It was enough to pay the legal retainers. But it wasn't enough to make the lawsuits go away. It wasn't enough to stop the regulatory scrutiny. And it wasn't enough to make the exhaustion in my bones disappear.
I woke up on Monday morning feeling like I hadn't slept at all. My eyes felt gritty. My head throbbed behind the temples. I lay in bed for a moment, listening to the rain against the window. It was a steady, rhythmic sound. Marcus was already up. I could smell coffee drifting up from the kitchen. I forced myself to sit up. The sheets tangled around my legs. I pushed them away.
I went
