I returned to the dining table and opened the notebook I’d started that first weekend.
On the opening page, the same question was still written in my handwriting.
What does Callum believe will remain unchanged?
I studied the words for a moment.
Then I turned to a clean page.
This time, I wrote a different question.
What do I want?
And instead of leaving it unanswered, I began making a list.
I wanted a home where Kieran would always feel loved and secure.
I wanted a life where respect was something I could expect, not something I had to beg for.
And I wanted enough confidence in myself to walk away from any future that required me to sacrifice my dignity just to keep someone else comfortable.
I read the list once more.
Then I closed the notebook.
The truth was, I still loved Callum.
I didn’t know whether that feeling would ever disappear.
