Chapter 40
Miles
Wednesday
There was a lump in my throat. Miss Amara was right. I regretted hurting someone who didn’t deserve to be hurt. And I would regret it if I left without apologizing, without giving Ella the chance to forgive me.
I glanced at Ella’s condo gate, then at the empty road. No sign of cars. No sign of her. Selfishly, I wished that, for some reason, their vacation had been cut short and that she was coming home tonight.
The moon was nowhere in sight, either. I guessed it was one of those nights when she wasn’t making an appearance. The night felt dark. The street was silent. And suddenly, I felt so motionless and… alone.
I opened my car door. All my movements were slow.
I didn’t know if it was a consequence of hoping someone would suddenly show up, or if I just felt too drained to move.
I sat in the driver’s seat. There was just one thing I had to do before I moved on.
So, I had driven straight from Miss Amara’s place to do it.
I tore a page out of my black notebook, pulled the pen from my backpack, and began writing the words swirling in my mind.
Tomorrow, I would wake up and leave this small town behind me. I would leave it all behind me. I would find stability within myself, jump into my next chapter.
My torn page now held the words from my torn insides. I wanted Ella to read them. Then she could decide, whether she would forgive me, whether she would write me back.
I folded the page and convinced myself that whatever would happen, I was ready for this new beginning.