章 94: Lessons in letting go

(Nicholas)

I walked back along the shore toward the cabin, my feet dragging in the sand. The old man's words repeated in my mind, louder with each step I took. 

I couldn't get rid of them, couldn't stop thinking about the way he said, redemption isn't about earning someone else's forgiveness—it's about finding a way to forgive yourself.

Forgive me. It sounded easy when he said it, but the feeling in my chest made it feel impossible. I had hurt Isabella so much. 

Every lie I told her, every cruel choice I made, every time I turned away when she needed me—it all added up to a person I didn't want to be. The worst part was knowing that I'd done it to someone who once trusted me, someone who once looked at me like I was her whole world.

The path back to the cabin was familiar now. I'd walked it so many times, each one ending the same—with me sitting alone, drowning in everything I couldn't change.