Before I Let Go Novels & Stories

So I turned off the lights, crawled into bed alone, and whispered one last thing before sleep dragged me under: “I hope you’re happy, Brandon. I really do.” Because me? I was finally learning to let go.

Let go of Aiden. Let go of the heartbreak. Let go of the tiny, stupid part of me that still wanted to believe in him. I turned to Pearl with a smile that felt dangerous. “Let’s have some fun.”

Because maybe, just maybe, this was the moment things will finally change. The past can’t be undone. The pain can’t be erased. But It was time to let go. And as I held Kelly, her sobs echoing through the empty room, I knew she was finally starting to let go, too.

It feels good to let out some tension before what's to come. "All right, darlin'," I manage between chuckles, "Let's get this over with."

I murmured against his hair. Later that night, after the kids were in bed, Adrian and I sat on the porch, watching the stars. I told him about seeing Caleb, about the conversation, about finally letting go. When I finished, Adrian squeezed my hand. “I’m proud of you,” he said simply. For a long moment, I just sat there, breathing in the cool night air, feeling the solid weight of Adrian beside me. And then, with a deep, steadying breath, I whispered into the darkness, “I’m not carrying it anymore. I’ve let it go.”

"Congratulations, Shawn. You finally got what you wanted. You hate Queenie, and now she's going to stay away from you." Finally, after all these years, they said one thing that I agreed with. There were only hours left before my flight. I checked my phone. "Is there anything else? I have to go." I told my mother I would be alright. "Just have your dinner, Mom." Shawn wanted to come after me, but Helga held him back. She said softly, "I know saying goodbye is hard, but you need to do this. Come back soon. I'll be waiting."

“Evelyn, I’m going back to Westbridge. “Because of me, you lost four years of your life. And because of me, you were taken hostage today. I don’t have the face to appear in front of you anymore. “Actually, I knew long ago that you would never forgive me. I just refused to believe it.” He looked at Evelyn leaning in Julian’s arms, completely trusting and relying on him, and gave a bleak smile. “Now that you’ve found your own happiness, it’s time for me to… let go.” The last few words came out with immense difficulty. There was no pain greater than wishing the woman he loved a lifetime of happiness with someone else. “Mason, let the past stay in the past. No matter what, thank you.” In the mom

Down the shore, Maya and Ben were arguing about their first dance, though from the way Maya kept smiling, the argument was not serious. Julian watched them for a moment. "They're happy," he said. "They are." "You could be too." I looked at him. He did not rush to soften it into a joke, but he did not push either. "I'm not asking you for anything tonight," he said. "I just don't want you to think peace means you're betraying what came before." Julian never tried to erase Ethan from my life, and maybe that was why it became easier to imagine a life after him.

I stare at the line for a minute or more. This is it. But why does it hurt? My brain wants something different from my heart. It takes a few trials for my hand to function, I flash myself an encouraging smile in the mirror. If you love someone, you will let them go. I guess it is time. It is time to let El go. I put my signature and set the pen on the dresser.

I come back and situate myself, legs tucked in and play the movie. I watched till the part where Mei-lei and four towns started to sing, "nobody like you" and I couldn't help the tears that threatened to flow as I listened to the lyrics. When they sang the part that said, "I'm never gonna let you cry, oh cry, oh cry. I'm always gonna be your ride, or die, or die," the water works started. With each words, tears flowed as I put a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth, blubbering the lyrics.