This space between us wasn’t only mine; it was his too. Because if I couldn’t trust myself not to hurt him again, I had no right to ask him to. I was still fragile. Still lost. Still trying to put the broken pieces of myself back together. I’d spent too many yearsfocused only on my own misery, on my own pain. I had to work through all of that before I could begin to care about anyone else.
So I was doing it for him, even if I didn’t know what the future held for us.
And for Harper.
I just hoped, deep in my heart, that my daughter never suffered because of me. I hoped it wasn’t too late for me to change.
Yet despite it all, I knew one truth with absolute clarity. My heart would always carry him. It would never change. But my story, my healing, had to begin with me.
Healing wasn’t a straight line. It was messy and uneven—a stumble forward, a step back. A slow, soul-draining process, finding the strength to make a comeback.
But now I knew that was okay. It was meant to be that way. I just had to keep going.
“Earth to Sloane.” Gabriel’s voice pulled me back to the present. I looked up at him.
“You drifted off for a second. Lost in your own head.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, turning away again. I leaned my elbows on the railing and looked down at the main floor, watching people move. “Just got too much on my mind.”
“Yeah.” He mirrored my posture, standing beside me. “Everything alright?”
“Yes. Everything’s good,” I replied flatly.
“It’s been a while since we had our usual coffee break together,” he said softly. “I kind of miss that.”
I didn’t respond to that. I was avoiding it too, though I wasn’t even sure why.
“Are you on a break now?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Usually, you’re hiding out with Lina.”
“She took the day off. Said she had something to do.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “How much time do you have left?”
“About ten minutes,” I replied.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
When I didn’t answer right away, just stared at him, he added, “I mean... just to stand here. With you.”
I looked at him for a few more seconds, then gave a slight nod. “Okay.”
“You’re hiding yourself again, Sloane. Pulling away from everyone.”
“I’m not,” I said defensively, even though I knew he was right.
“I get that you want to be alone. But being alone all the time... It’s not always good. Sometimes you need a friend.”
“But I like being alone,” I said defensively. “It’s peaceful.”
“Is it?” he asked gently, eyes on me. “Even when being alone just makes the thoughts in your head scream louder?”
I straightened, lifting my gaze to his. “Maybe I just need some time to think. On my own.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “But sometimes, it helps to have someone there to think things through with you.”
