Chapter 4 – Thinking of a Solution

The ocean stretched endlessly before her, a sheet of silver under the early morning sun. Waves lapped gently against the sand, their rhythmic hush the only sound in the quiet dawn.

Aria wandered around for a long time and finally found a little peace when He came across the Beach.

Aria sat on a weathered wooden bench, hugging her thin sweater tightly around her. The salty wind tangled her hair, but she didn’t move to fix it. She didn’t move at all.

Her bag lay on the bench beside her. Inside, the envelope with the check felt heavier than bricks. Twenty thousand dollars. Enough to change Her life.

And yet, her chest felt hollow.

She drew her knees up to her chest, staring at the horizon. If she squinted, she could almost imagine the sea swallowing the memory of last night—the heat of his hands, the softness of his voice, the way he looked at her like she was more than a nobody.

Until he disappeared.

She blinked hard as her throat tightened. Why did I expect more? She had known what it was from the start. One night. No promises. But knowing didn’t make it hurt less.

Her phone buzzed. She flinched. For a heartbeat, hope flared—maybe it was him.

But when she took her phone.... the hope vanished. It wasn't Him.

It was Maureen.

She didn’t open the message. She didn’t need to. She could already hear Maureen’s voice in her head: demanding more money, spitting venom, reminding her of every debt she never owed.

Aria’s stomach twisted. She couldn’t go back. Not to that house. And she couldn't go back to the Bar either—Mona would have her scrubbing floors before sunrise. And once Maureen found out about the check, she’d bleed her dry.

The thought made her grip the envelope tighter. For once, she had something that was hers, and she wasn't going to let Maureen have cent from it.

She closed her eyes, letting the breeze wash over her face. What now, Aria?

Running seemed reckless. Impossible, even. She had no friends outside Jenny, no family, no one to call for help. But staying here isn't an option either. Staying meant drowning slowly in the same misery she’d lived in for years.

"Aria what are you going to do now" she muttered to herself. "Mum, Dad.... what should I do? aren't you guys seeing me in this situation?"... she choked

"Why didn't....why didn't you take me with you?"

"I don't know what to do anymore..." she said sobbing softly.

After sobbing for a while and cleaning her face, Her gaze shifted back to the ocean, where sunlight broke over the waves like shards of gold. and something clicked inside of her...

"Maybe this was my sign."...

She opened her bag and stared at the check again. Twenty thousand dollars. Enough for a tiny apartment in a place where no one knew her name. Enough to breathe, at least for a while.

She wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater, inhaling deeply as resolve settled in her bones.

She was leaving, going to a place no one knows her, to start all over again.

"I will leave this city so that Maureen and her boyfriend will not be able to find me"

She didn’t know where yet—but anywhere was better than here.

With trembling hands, Aria tucked the envelope safely back into her bag, stood up, and turned her back on the endless blue horizon.

For the first time in years, she wasn’t walking toward something.

She was walking away.

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