34: One Last Glance

Chapter 34

Mia's point of view.

The ride to the airport was as lifeless as the ache behind my ribcage. I sat curled near the window in the backseat of the car as Martin drove. I watched the city lights smear across the glass like tears trailing a cheek. I didn’t say a word. Martin didn’t either. He never did—until now.

The silence between us wasn’t companionable. I stared at the reflection of my face in the tinted window, the hollow version of a woman who’d tasted something too sweet to keep.

And was now choking on the aftertaste.

When the car rolled to a smooth halt in front of the airport, Martin stepped out and pulled my suitcase from the trunk. I followed, quiet and robotic, like a sleepwalker. My heels clicked against the concrete, sharp and distant. I turned back for a final glance at the city I’d so briefly belonged to. The city that had given me Andreas. A fantasy, nothing more. One I was now choosing to forget.

I drew in a long breath, bracing myself for reality.