She sighs and studies her face in the bedroom mirror, the turned-down corners of her mouth, the fretful crease in her brow she cannot erase, nor ease the dull ache and mounting pressure behind her temples. Her everyday stresses collected right there, it seemed, worries and fears building and pressing until her head felt as if it were about to explode. That was when she needed release, and though it was an addiction she tried to manage, sometimes it was the only way.
