Chapter 6: The Final Goodbye

Early the next morning, as the first sunlight crept across the porch, I stepped out with a mug of coffee. Derek’s pickup was already at the curb, engine still ticking. He jogged up the drive, boots thudding, jacket thrown over a white T-shirt.

When he saw me, something in his eyes brightened. He hesitated, thumb rubbing a groove into the golden bow he held, the morning light glinting off it. For the first time in years, he looked like he didn’t know what to say.

"Aubrey forgot her bow and arrows."

He held the bow out, not quite meeting my eyes. I stood in the doorway, coffee cooling in my hands, and realized I was done giving away pieces of myself to people who never noticed until they were gone.