Nodded once.
Then, with a voice so raw it shattered her, he whispered—
"Take care, Monroe."
And then?
He turned.
Walked back toward the dock.
Didn’t look back.
Didn’t stop.
Didn’t fight her anymore.
Savannah stood there, watching him go, breaking.
The second Savannah made it back to the car, she squared her shoulders, inhaled sharply, and forced the burning behind her eyes to stay put. She wouldn’t cry. Not yet. Not now. Not while she still felt the heat of his lips against hers, not while his voice still echoed in her mind, raw and wrecked.
She yanked the car door open and climbed into the passenger seat, gripping her knees with trembling hands. Mallory didn’t say a word. She simply exhaled softly, turning the key in the ignition as the engine rumbled to life.
The tires crunched against the gravel as they pulled awayfrom the dock, from him, from everything. Savannah pressed her lips together, blinking rapidly, willing herself to keep it together.
It wasn’t until they reached the end of the drive that she broke.
Because that’s when she saw it.
The sign.
Whispering Echoes Drive.
The name he had chosen. The name that had always been just a name—until now.
Now, it was them.
Her breath hitched, her fingers clenching into the fabric of her jeans as the first tear slipped down her cheek. And once it started, there was no stopping it.
The dam shattered.
She bit her lip, but the sob tore through her anyway, her body shaking as she crumpled forward, her forehead pressing against her hands.
Mallory glanced over, her own expression tight with pain.
"Oh, sweetheart…" she whispered.
Savannah shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, drowning in it.
She could still feel him.
Still hear him.
Take care, Monroe.
Like she was just someone. Like they hadn’t just loved each other.
At that moment, she knew.
