She was going far away—to Texas.
To start a new life.
Blayne would never hear from her again.
They would never cross paths again.
She found a gap in her schedule to return one last time, gathering all of her belongings.
Everything Blayne had bought her remained untouched.
One New Year’s, he gave her a gift—holding her hand, he guided her as they wrote in elegant script together.
[Terri, may you be happy year after year.]
She had hugged him then, tears streaming down her face.
Back then, she had believed it was real.
She had treasured that piece of letter like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Now, she took it out and set it aflame without a second thought.
The fire curled around the paper, flickering hungrily, but her expression remained impassive.
She placed the villa’s key back where it belonged, erasing every last trace of herself.
As if she had never been there at all.
Sitting in the airport lounge, she wore oversized sunglasses that hid her expression.
Overhead, the announcement came.
“Passengers on flight DL760, please proceed to boarding. May you have a pleasant journey.”
As the artificial voice echoed through the terminal, Terri pulled out her SIM card and tossed it into the trash.
