Page 34 of Zane

She wanted to run away. To take her broken heart and try to start her life over yet again.

She’d done it at eighteen when she’d been kicked out by her parents and had to find a way to put a roof over her head and food in her belly. It had been very hard, but she’d done it, and she could do it again, if she felt like it was the only option left to her.

Though she’d been nearly broke back then and survived, she’d rather not have to do it again. So she had no choice for the moment but to stay and have her heart broken over and over and over again.

She felt moisture on her cheeks and reached up to brush away the tears that had slipped free. How did she still have tears left to shed?

Putting her earbuds in, Kelsey strove to escape her thoughts, even if it was for just a few minutes. After starting up an audio book, she began to jog, nodding as she passed people out walking with their kids and their dogs.

There were lots of quaint looking houses on the street. Most of them had colorful flowers planted in garden beds along their fronts. Someone was mowing, filling the air with the scent of freshly cut grass.

All in all, Serenity wasn’t a bad place. It looked like it might even be a good place to raise a family.

However, it wouldn’t work for either her or Zane, which was why there had never been any discussion between them about returning to live in Serenity. And yet, here they were. Forced by circumstances to come back.

She kept jogging, not really paying attention to where she was going. It wasn’t a big worry. She knew the address to the house, and she had the GPS on her phone to guide her if she got lost.

Running was something she’d only done periodically, so she couldn’t keep up a steady pace. That meant she slowed to a walk at times, which allowed her to take in more of the town. At one point, she saw a sign for a park and didn’t hesitate to veer in that direction.

The park had a walking path beside the road, and the further she got into the park, the more company she had on it.

Big trees towered over the walkway, and there were lots of people of all ages enjoying the nice weather. Many sat at picnic tables. Others had blankets laid out on the grass while kids played nearby. There were some people playing volleyball, while others tossed a football around.

It was idyllic, and even soothing in a way. She stopped her audio book and pulled her earbuds out so she could enjoy it.

The longer she was away from the house, the more the fog of grief and hurt thinned. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt like she could breathe. She was away from people she barely knew, some of whom didn’t seem to like her very much. Who only tolerated her because she’d married someone they loved.

The grief and hurt didn’t completely go away. But enough of it did to give her a chance to view the situation with a little more clarity.

She had a decision to make: stay or go.

Was the love she’d had with Zane prior to him losing his memory worth enduring the hurt and rejection she felt on a daily basis?

There was no guarantee that the love he’d had for her would ever return. It was possible that Zane would never regain his memory, and they’d never share that love again.

Maybe if she left, he’d come find her if his memory returned.

However, what would happen if she moved on with her life, and he showed up in that new life with his memory intact? It could lead to even more heartache.

So many scenarios ran through her mind, and she gave each one due consideration as she continued to wander through the park. It quickly became apparent that the only path she saw to happiness was with Zane regaining his memory and remembering their love.

And she wanted that more than anything else.

So she wasn’t going to leave. Not yet. Not unless Zane asked her to.

By coming to Serenity with Zane, she’d sort of made that decision already. However, this time, she really meant it. If she wanted to get through this with her mental health intact, she had to stick to that resolution.

There might be people who didn’t want her there, but she knew that pre-accident Zane would have. If the roles were reversed, he would have stuck beside her. She knew that with one hundred percent certainty.

Of course, she didn’t have a serious boyfriend in her past that she’d be in love with, had she lost four years of her memory. It was hard to ignore that revelation from Zane, but she was trying her hardest to do just that.

Give me a chance to either remember you or fall in love with you all over again.

It was like Zane was there, whispering in her ear. Asking her to give them a chance. To givehima chance.

He might not currently be the person she’d married, but that man was in there somewhere. She just needed to find him again.

She thought of how the pastor had said they were praying for her and Zane. Maybe it was time that she tried to pray, too. But would God hear her since she didn’t have the same faith that Zane and his family did?

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