Page 78 of The Two Halves of My Heart

Oliver’s words felt like an adventure we’d never got to act out. Destined to stay in the what-ifs of the lazy summers we spent with each other growing up. There was a feeling of loss, of grief, because I never confronted him about leaving. He’d taken that away by vanishing without a trace. And now I was angry that he thought I might come running back and forgive him.

The door clicked as I heard Mum arrive home. I’d lost hours, sitting here on my own.

“Mum, hi.” I swiped the salty droplets from my cheeks and pulled the letters together, bundling them up into the box they’d lived in until today. “You don’t mind me being here?”

“This is your home. Of course, I don’t.” She stared at the box she’d kept hidden from me. “You read them?”

I nodded. “Why didn’t you give these to me?” My voice was hoarse, thick with emotion.

“Because I didn’t want them to change the way you felt about Maddison. Those boys have been stuck in your heart since you were kids, and finally, things were working out for you.” She smoothed my hand, comforting me. “Did I make the wrong decision?”

The worry on her face was evident, and I knew that they wouldn’t have changed my mind. I’d chosen Maddison. I loved him. But my heart was broken, and I’d become lost in a relationship that I’d clung to for dear life.

Now, regardless of what Oliver’s words said, I choose me.

---