Page 248 of Fame & Chaos

We walk together to the front door, neither of us speaking.

Silence says more than either of us can.

My legs feel heavy as I step outside, as though every footstep is carrying me further away from the only future I’d ever wanted.

Kenzi is right… Indi deserves a life where she isn’t constantly looking over her shoulder.

A life without photographers hiding behind cars.

A life without obsessed fans.

A life without rumors, scandals, and women like Sasha trying to tear us apart.

She deserves peace.

And if I’m honest with myself…

I have never been able to give her that.

I stop on the front step and turn back. “One last thing.” Kenzi waits. “Just tell her…” My voice catches. “Tell her I n-never stopped l-loving her.”

She nods. “I will.”

“And tell her I only ever wanted her to be happy.”

“I’ll tell her.”

I manage a small nod before turning away.

I don’t bother calling another cab. Right now, I need the walk. I need the cold air, and I need the silence.

As the front door clicks shut behind me, it feels as though some other major door has closed with it.

Not just Kenzi’s.

The one I had spent years trying to reopen.

Indi will always be the love of my life.

And because I love her…

I am finally letting her go.

Indi

I’ve moved into a much larger house with Ingrid from work, which has been a nice change. It’s only a few streets from my old place, close enough to feel familiar but far enough away that, if Caleb ever became desperate enough to go knocking on doors, he’d never think to look here.

I also transferred from the emergency room to the orthopedics ward. If he came looking for me at the hospital, he won’t find me there either.

Kenzi told me he never did.

That surprised me more than I expected.

She did admit he came to her house looking for me, though. They talked, but she never told me what was said. Whatever it was, something changed. The constant stream of phone calls slowly dwindled from ten a day to one, and although that’s exactly what I wanted, it still hurt to realize he’d finally stopped trying quite so hard.

Losing Caleb wasn’t new.

I had survived it once before.