CHAPTER 81: EMMA

The days pass, and I haven't heard a single word from Liam. No calls, no texts—nothing. I should feel relieved, but instead, it's like this gnawing emptiness, a reminder that maybe I meant even less to him than I thought. I don't know why I expected anything different. Finally, on the third day of silence, I made up my mind. I grab my phone, scroll to Liam's name, and hit "Block." I should have done this a long time ago. A clean break is what I need, and I'm not going to keep hoping for closure that will never come.

Odette, sensing my need for a change of scenery, decides it's time for a little adventure. "Come with me to Paris," she says one morning, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "It will be good for you, I promise. A fresh start."

I hesitate at first, but the idea of getting away from everything, even just for a little while, is too tempting to resist. "Okay," I agree, smiling for the first time in days. "Let's do it."

Within hours, we're on a flight from Rimini to Paris, and