“Of course I will leave. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow... but one day, I will walk away for good.”
When he spoke again, his voice had changed.
“Elena...”
A quiet exhale that sounded like it cost him something.
I slowed the car further, letting the road guide me.
“I know it’s foolish to ask, but... to be certain of my fate—you’ll never forgive me, will you?” he asked.
“No one who’s suffered as much at your hands could ever forgive you,” I said sharply.
A hollow sound escaped him.
For a long moment, he said nothing, as if the weight of my words had stolen the breath from his lungs.
“Can you tell me where you are?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
My eyes shifted forward.
The road curved again, opening into a broader stretch where a sign came into view:
Palm Oasis Beach
White letters against a deep navy background.
The ocean stretched beyond it—wide, restless, alive.
Golden sand spread out toward the water, dotted with umbrellas still open despite the fading light.
Something in my chest loosened slightly.
I pulled into the public parking lot, tires crunching softly over gravel as I slowed to a stop beneath a row of swaying palm trees.
The SUV came to rest.
The engine died with a final, low hum.
I leaned back slightly in the seat.
Then spoke into the phone.
“I’m at Palm Oasis Beach.”
A pause.
Then—
“Stay there,” he said immediately. “I’m coming to get you.”
And then—
He hung up.
I stared at the phone for a second longer before lowering it slowly into my lap.
