Chapter 10
283words
I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching planes slice through the darkness, coming and going.
My phone lit up with a message from Cecilla.
[He's awake and searching everywhere like a lunatic. Both families are in total chaos.]
[His parents called me asking where you are.]
[Eula, are you really sure about this?]
I gazed at the indigo horizon, scattered with distant stars.
I typed my reply.
[I'm sure.]
Then I powered off my phone, cutting the final cord to my past.
The boarding announcement rang out, crisp and clear.
I wheeled my suitcase into the stream of travelers, moving steadily toward the gate that promised freedom.
Goodbye, Terry.
Goodbye to a life where I was never truly loved.
As the plane roared down the runway, g-force pressed me into my seat.
We pierced through layers of clouds, climbing higher.
...
A year later, news of Terry reached me through my parents.
The sleeping pills had been stronger than I realized. He'd screamed himself hoarse when he woke, damaging his vocal cords permanently.
Those lips that had spun so many lies now fell silent—his punishment and my justice.
Asha had sneaked back to be with him, but after six months of his cold indifference, she'd fled the country again.
My parents' voices cracked with regret. "We're so sorry, Eula."
I gazed at the river of stars outside my window as tears finally came.
Not for Terry. Not for my parents.
For myself.
For the woman who died and the one who rose from her ashes.
Before me lay boundless skies and endless horizons.
I was simply Eula Silver.
Eula Silver, who lived for herself alone.
