Oh, Erik. You were doing so well. We always knew they'd get to this point (I imagine this is about the same time as the first part, right?), but this was a lot more gutting for me than the beginning, knowing all their history. I can imagine that you struggled with this, but I think the result is one of the strongest parts of the story.

At least (given that my timeline assumptions are correct), from now on I can keep up the irrational hope that this is the lowest point and things can get better. I have a feeling that that hope will be shattered a lot, but I'll cling to it.