Chapter 8

Colton must have felt the shift because he clung to Whitney like a shadow in the days that followed.

He was always there, right down to waiting outside the bathroom door for her.

Even when Janice stood in the corner, eyes brimming with tears, he would just furrow his brow and look away.

One morning, excitement lit up his eyes as he handed her a fancy invitation with a golden seal.

"Whitney, our school's hundred-year celebration is today. Our friends want to catch up. You've been cooped up here for days, it's a perfect chance to get some air and reconnect. What do you say?"

Her gaze lingered on the shiny school emblem, and memories flooded back. Ten years ago, he had been just as eager, waving basketball tickets at her in the doorway.

"Whitney, you coming?"

'I might as well go. It'll probably be the last time anyway, she thought.

At the class reunion, Colton's hand was locked with hers the whole time.

Their old classmates joked about how the campus heartthrob and beauty were still a perfect match, reminiscing about the time Colton had lined up all night to get her a rare album.

He chuckled, pulling her close, his fingers tracing her waist in a silent plea for favor.

Tina, the former class president, interrupted, presenting a box. "Remember our time capsule with the letters we wrote ten years ago? It's time they finally made their way back home."

The crowd surged forward, each person eager to claim their piece of the past.

Whitney was about to open her own package when Colton stopped dead in his tracks.

His phone rang, and 'Janice' flashed on the screen.

With a hesitant look at Whitney, he stepped into the hallway to take the call.

When he returned a minute later, his face was ashen. "Whitney, she's had a fall. She's in the hospital now..."

Whitney replied, cutting through his panic. "Go. The child comes first."

He kissed her forehead, a weight lifted. "I'll be back before you know it."

As Whitney watched him rush away, she turned to the time capsule and found Colton's letter.

[To twenty-six-year-old Colton], the envelope teased. Despite her hesitation, curiosity won, and she opened it.

The paper was tinged with age, yet the words stood out bold and clear.

A younger Colton's exuberant handwriting sprawled across the page.

[Hey there, twenty-six-year-old Colton. By now, you've surely made Whitney your wife, haven't you? I'm jealous of you, living the dream I can't wait to reach.

[Listen up. You'd better treat Whitney right, cherish her with everything you've got, or else, I'll be coming for you.

[Don't forget her daily warm milk since her stomach's always been touchy. Take her to Icelandia for those Northern Lights she's never stopped dreaming about.

[She despises rainy days, and cilantro? It's a no-go; she's allergic. Remember, she's scared of the dark, so never let her walk home alone at night.]

Tucked at the end was a smaller sentence, meant only for her eyes.

[Whitney, if I'm not treating you right ten years down the line, walk away, and never look back.]

Her fingers traced the words, and the dam broke, tears streaming down her face.

She whispered to no one, "Alright. I'll take your advice."

The party wound down, and she embraced each classmate, saying her goodbyes.

With tears welling in her eyes, Tina said, "Promise we'll reunite at the next school reunion, okay?"

However, Whitney knew there would not be a next time.

She left and hailed a cab to the county clerk's office.

That day marked the day her divorce was final. She could pick up her divorce papers and close the chapter on her marriage.

The clerk asked her one last time, "Ms. Thompson, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

She watched the official stamp hit the paper, feeling an emptiness in her chest but also an odd sense of freedom.

Before she left, she wiped the slate clean, canceling all her cards and buying a one-way ticket out of there.

As the plane took off, the sunset bled through the window.

Staring out, she remembered him at eighteen, blocking her path after school, saying, "Whitney, you're mine. You can't run from me."

'Colton, you were so wrong. This time, I'm the one who got away. I'm never looking back,' she vowed to herself.