The tears came in waves—deep, guttural, unstoppable. Mist clung to her skin, but the shivering wasn’t from the cold. Her mind spun through painful memories: her old apartment in New York, the silence after the divorce, the long days she spent rebuilding—and now this, losing Pablo, her last thread of peace.
Guilt hit like a hammer. If only she had stayed closer. If she hadn’t been sipping coffee instead of watching him. If only she had noticed the eagle and gotten Pablo inside on time. Each detail sharpened into another regret, stacking over her shoulders until she could barely breathe through the weight of it.
Around her, the forest blurred. Alex stood nearby, uneasy and unsure. Samantha sat curled in on herself, grief pulsing through her like a second heartbeat. A small voice inside urged her to quit. Go home. Let go. Maybe this was where it was supposed to end.
Then Alex knelt in front of her, steady and grounded. His hands rested on her shoulders, his voice calm but cutting through the fog. “Sam, you can’t stop here. He’s your family. You’ve come too far. You have to keep going—until there’s nothing left to try.” His words struck deep.