“I know.”
“And if you ever feel like you do, tell me. We’ll face it together.”
I held him a little tighter.
That was the moment I understood the real difference between Irvin and Vanessa.
Vanessa wanted to be chosen because she believed being chosen would prove she was better than somebody else.
Irvin chose me because he loved the person I was.
Those are two entirely different things.
Chapter Seven: The Woman Who Finally Left
Three months later, a moving truck appeared outside Vanessa’s house.
I watched from our front window as two men carried boxes down her front steps.
Vanessa stood on the sidewalk, giving instructions while holding a clipboard.
For a moment, our eyes met.
I considered looking away.
Instead, I gave her a small nod.
She hesitated, then returned it.
There was no dramatic confrontation.
No final insult.
No tearful confession.
Just two women standing on opposite sides of a street, each understanding that something had ended.
