Valerie nodded faintly. Something inside her slowly loosened. There was no longer a feeling she had to hide, no old hope she needed to protect. What remained was simply a meeting between two adults who had once known each other and now stood in very different places in their lives.
Esme smiled in relief. "In that case," she said brightly, "let's take a walk. There's a small place I want to show you both."
They began walking together.
Valerie walked beside Esme, listening to her talk about the simple life she now lived about a small shop, about friendly neighbors, about quiet days. From time to time, she glanced toward Ethan walking on the other side, listening without saying much.
Not awkward. Not overly familiar either.
And for the first time in a long while, Valerie realized something clearly:
she had not come here to escape but to remember who she was before the world demanded that she become too many things at once.
