And I know that’s not fair.
So I stayed quiet.
I told myself that if you ever wanted to come back, you would.
But you didn’t.
And maybe that’s the answer I’ve been looking for.
So this is me, finally saying the words I should have said that night, standing on that dock, watching you go.
I love you, Savannah. I never stopped.
But I think it’s time I finally try.
It’s time I stop just moving forward and actually move on.
No matter where life takes us, no matter who we become, no matter what paths we walk from here—there will always be the Echoes of Us.
Take care of yourself, Monroe.
-Chase Montgomery
Savannahread the last line over and over again, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps.
Take care of yourself, Monroe.
Her hands shook, gripping the paper so tightly it crinkled beneath her fingertips, but she couldn’t loosen her grip. Couldn’t let go. Her vision blurred, tears welling and spilling down her cheeks in rapid succession, hot and unrelenting, like they had been waiting—aching—for permission to fall. Her heart, already splintered from a year of regret, cracked straight down the middle.
This wasn’t just a letter.
This was goodbye.
The realization hit her like a punch to the gut, knocking the air from her lungs. She pressed her trembling fingers to her lips, but it did nothing to stop the sob clawing its way up her throat.
Somewhere in the background, she could hear Mallory calling her name, but it sounded far away, muted, like she was underwater. Like the weight of Chase’s words had dragged her beneath the surface, leaving her gasping for air, fighting against a current too strong to escape.
He loved her. He never stopped.
And now?—
Now he was done.
A strangled sound tore from her lips, a sob so raw it felt like it had been buried inside her chest for months, waiting for this exact moment to break free.
Mallory was there in an instant, dropping onto the couch beside her, wrapping steady, grounding hands around Savannah’s shaking shoulders.
“Savy,” she whispered, her voice laced with concern. “Talk to me.”
Savannah couldn’t.
Couldn’t find the words.
Couldn’t breathe past the crushing weight in her chest, the unbearable truth suffocating her from the inside out.
Chase had waited. For an entire year, he had held on, hoping she would come back. Hoping she would give them another chance. And now, after twelve months of silence, after twelve months of forcing himself to move forward—
He was letting go.
