That alone was enough to make Evie’s carefully constructed defenses waver.
“Hi,” Maggie said, and her voice was quieter than Evie had ever heard it.
“Hey,” Evie replied as her fingertips pressed into her palm.
They stood there for a beat too long, the space between them heavy with everything unsaid.
“Well, come in,” Maggie finally said, stepping back.
Evie crossed the threshold and immediately catalogued her surroundings—not because she was being nosy, but because this was Maggie’s private space, and she wanted to understand the woman behind the walls. She craved a glimpse of the real Maggie.
The apartment was exactly what she’d expected: clean lines, minimal decoration, everything in its place. But there were small touches of personality too. Books stacked on the coffee table—medical journals mixed with novels. A few plants on the windowsill, thriving despite Maggie’s probable tendency to over-manage their care. Carefully selected artwork placed minimally throughout. A framed photo on the bookshelf of two womenlaughing, one of them unmistakably Maggie, younger and unguarded.
Sarah, Evie realized. That had to be Sarah.
“Can I get you anything?” Maggie asked, closing the door. “Water? Coffee? Wine?”
“Um, water’s fine, thank you,” Evie said, because she needed to keep her head clear for this.
Maggie disappeared into the kitchen, and Evie took the opportunity to breathe. To remind herself why she was here. Not to make this easy. Not to let Maggie off the hook. But to listen. To see if the woman who’d texted her four days ago—I’m broken in ways I’m still discovering—was the same one standing in front of her now.
Maggie returned with two glasses of water, handing one to Evie before gesturing toward the couch.
They sat—not close, but not far either. A careful distance that felt deliberate.
“Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it, more than you know,” Maggie said.
Evie took a sip of water, buying herself time. “If I’m being truthful, I almost didn’t.”
“I know.”
“So why did you ask me here, Maggie? Because if this is just another apology followed by more distance, I’m not interested.”
Maggie set her glass down carefully on the coffee table. When she looked up, her eyes were clear but vulnerable in a way Evie had only seen once before—in that on-call room before everything fell apart.
“I asked you here because I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” Maggie said. “And I owe you more than careful texts and half-truths. You deserve more than that.”
“Okay,” Evie said slowly. “I’m listening.”
Maggie took a breath, and Evie watched her visibly steel herself—not to hide, but to stay present.
“Well, firstly, I know I’ve been a dick. And I know I can’t take back how much I have hurt you. But I’ve been reading Sarah’s journals,” Maggie began. “The ones I’ve been avoiding for six years because I was terrified of what they’d say aboutme.”
Evie stayed quiet, giving her space.
“And I found... a lot,” Maggie continued. “About how I tried to control her illness. About how I made her feel managed instead of loved. About how she saw exactly what I was doing and forgave me anyway.” Her voice caught. “And about what she wanted for me after she was gone.”
“And what did she want?” Evie asked softly.
Maggie’s eyes glistened. “For me to live. Not just survive. Not just function. Actuallylive. She wrote—” Maggie pulled a small journal from the side table, opening to a marked page. “She wrote: ‘I hope someday she finds someone who sees her the way I do. Who won’t let her hide, who makes her laugh, who reminds her she’s allowed to be afraid—I want her to let them in.’”
Evie felt her throat tighten.
“And then you showed up,” Maggie said, looking directly at her now. “And you were exactly that person. Nobody sees through me like you do. The moment our eyes locked, something changed. I know it’s kinda cringe, and I know I’m a little icy, but I feel deeply, Evie.”
“So I need to ask, why did you push me away if it felt like that to you?” Evie asked, and she couldn’t keep the hurt from her voice.
“Because I was terrified,” Maggie admitted. “Because the last time I let someone in after Sarah, it destroyed me. Because I didn’t know how to love you without trying to control every variable. Because I was more afraid of losing you than I was brave enough to actually have you.”
