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Chapter 51 – “Not Yours to Burn“

Penulis: Mary George
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-07-04 15:48:50
Ava’s POV

The sun was rising, but it didn’t feel like a beginning.

It felt like exposure.

Light spilling over everything I couldn’t outrun.

The headlines. The whispers. The worst part wasn’t what he said.

It was how steady his voice was when he said it.

Like it didn’t cost him a thing to doubt me.

Like all the moments we shared, everything we survived could be erased with one look at a

headline.

Lily stirred beside me on the train, her head tucked under my chin.

So small. So still.

She felt light in my arms, but heavy in all the ways that mattered.

Too fragile to be out of a hospital bed.

Too fragile to be caught in the middle of any of this.

But I carried her anyway.

Because no one else would.

Because I couldn’t leave her behind, even if that meant leaving everything else.

I kept one arm wrapped around her, like maybe I could still protect her from the noise, the world, the wreckage.

But my other hand wouldn’t stop shaking.

My phone screen glowed in my lap—still open to Naomi’s messag
Mary George

We all carry our own versions of “paper.” Contracts. Expectations. Stories written for us before we even knew how to write our own. Sometimes the bravest thing isn’t walking away—it’s choosing not to go back. If you’ve ever let go of something that no longer served who you were becoming, I hope this chapter made you feel a little less alone. With love, M.G. 🤍

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