As the plane slowly ascended, the city that had brought five years of joy and sorrow grew smaller and smaller.
It wasn’t until that moment that I finally felt like I was leaving.
I wondered how Callum would react when he returned and realized I was gone.
Would he be shocked? Would it bring him joy?
We used to have a deep connection, a time when neither of us wanted to leave the other.
Back then, Emmet and the others often ended our gatherings early, annoyed by how clingy we
were.
When Callum proposed, he had made a promise to me. “Wherever I am, that will always be your home.
“I’ll stay with you forever, as your family, your kin, your lover.”
But later, all those sweet words lost their meaning.
He was so sure I wouldn’t leave him, that I couldn’t bear to be without a home, so he hurt me without fear, believing there would be no consequences.
It didn’t matter anymore.
I gazed out at the drifting white clouds, exhaled deeply, and let myself relax into the seat.
There was no need to question a relationship that had turned sour. The only answer is to stop the damage in time.
I was sure that a bright future and picturesque horizon awaited me.
I was pulling my luggage toward the airport exit at Azure City when suddenly someone pulled at my suitcase.
Aunt Janice and James had materialized beside me. I had not seen both in such a long time.
They were smiling at me.
“What were you thinking, Eloise? We called you several times and you didn’t respond,” Aunt Janice playfully chided me.
With one familiar phrase and a knowing look, all the years apart instantly vanished.
Aunt Janice Tolkien–Redding was my stepmother, and James Vincent was my step–brother. Despite not being connected by blood, after my father passed away when I was fifteen, it was the two of them who raised me and paid for my education.
Aunt Janice treated me like her own daughter.
1/4
Chantera
They were always the first ones I turned to.
