CHAPTER 264

That evening, as I settled Lucas into bed, my mind was still spinning with everything I’d felt and realized at English Bay.

I found myself replaying the questions I had asked Leon, turning over his silent answers in my mind, as if the warmth I’d felt there was indeed a sign that he’d heard me.

I knew I’d have to face these feelings sooner or later, and that meant confronting William. He’d been patient, trying to play his part as best he could, and yet it was impossible for him to understand what it meant to carry a loss like mine.

After days of thinking, wrestling with memories and regrets, I made my way back to the café where William had asked to meet.

Today felt different. I had come to terms with the possibility I’d spent so long avoiding: that maybe, letting go of the past didn’t have to mean erasing it. Maybe it could mean making space for someone else. For Lucas’s sake. And, I admitted to myself, maybe even for mine.

The next morning, I decided to send William a message:

Mee