Niall’s heart felt like it was being torn in two.
She washome.
She had fought so hard for this. It was what she had wanted from the moment she had arrived in his world. He had known, deep down, that she would leave—that shehadto leave.
But now the moment had come, he felt like he was dying.
His hands clenched at his sides as his body screamed at him to do something—to beg, to plead, todragher through before the portal closed. Because the thought of living without her—of waking up tomorrow and knowing she was gone forever—
It was unbearable.
Charlotte swallowed hard. For the first time since he’d known her, she looked uncertain.
And that was what made his decision for him.
He straightened, forcing his voice to be steady. “Ye’re home now, my love.”
She bit her lip, her eyes shining. The portal flickered. It wouldn’t stay open much longer.
Niall’s chest ached as he looked at her, committing every detail to memory—the way her hair fell down her back, the stubborn tilt of her chin, the softness in her gaze.
He had no right to ask her to stay.
So he wouldn’t.
Instead, he let out a slow breath and said the only thing that mattered.
“I love ye, Charlotte.”
Her lips parted, her breath catching.
“I love ye,” he said again, his voice rougher, full of every ounce of pain and longing in his soul. “I always will.”
The portal pulsed, its edges crackling. He forced himself to step back. Forced himself to let her go.
“Goodbye, lass.”
***
CHARLIE STOOD FROZEN, Niall’s words ringing in her ears.I love ye, Charlotte. I always will.
And then—Goodbye, lass.
Her heart clenched so painfully she could barely breathe. She had been so desperate to return to this world, to the life she had left behind. But as she stood in the dimly lit bookshop, hearing the hum of traffic, the distant blare of a car horn, the chatter of people on the street outside...
She felt...nothing.
This place—her own time—feltwrong. Like a pair of shoes that no longer fit.
Irene MacAskill’s words echoed in her mind.Write yer own story, lass. Not someone else’s that ye read about in a book.
She had been so blind. Because her home wasn’t a place. Or even a time. It washim.Hewas her story and the one they would write together was her future.
The portal flickered again, the edges beginning to curl inward.
No. No, no, no—
Her gaze locked onto Niall standing just beyond the edge of the swirling light—
