She wiped away a tear.
“I really did love you.”
“I believe you.”
“Wasn’t that enough?”
Cole considered the question.
“Love matters. But so do honesty, respect, and the choices we make when things become difficult.”
Claire looked at him for a long time.
Then she nodded.
“I hope you find the life you wanted.”
“I think I’m building it.”
They finished their coffee.
When they stood, Claire hugged him.
This time, there was no desperation in it. No attempt to hold him in place.
Just a quiet goodbye between two people who had once meant everything to each other.
Cole watched her walk toward her car.
Then he turned in the opposite direction.
His knee still hurt. Some mornings were worse than others. He still had nights when his sleep was interrupted by memories he couldn’t control.
But he had stopped treating those things as evidence that he was broken.
