The night seemed almost surreal like it wasn’t happening to me but to someone else. I felt disoriented and out of my depth, and everything around me seemed to be coming from a distance. Even words sounded like they were passed through an echo chamber before they reached my ears. I couldn’t imagine, even with all that I’ve been through, that days like this really do exist.

One minute I was laughing and teasing Chantal while we both cheated at scrabble, and the next, I was standing ...