Alone.
Not because I was escaping anyone.
Not because I had a secret waiting for me.
But because, for the first time in years, I wanted to spend time with the one person I had neglected while trying to save my marriage.
Myself.
And as the plane lifted into the sky, I finally understood something Daniel never had:
Sometimes leaving doesn’t destroy your life.
Sometimes it is the first step toward getting it back.
— Emily, wait.
Emily.
Now I had a name.
I hated how gently he said it.
Like her feelings mattered.
I followed them toward the hotel.
Neither of them stopped me.
Inside the elevator, nobody spoke.
Daniel stared at the floor.
Emily folded her arms.
My hands were shaking so badly that I had to hide them inside my jacket pockets.
When the elevator doors opened, Emily walked toward a room at the end of the hallway.
