Chapter 42

• The crisp autumn air nipped at Cleo’s cheeks as she walked along the secluded beach, the rhythmic crash of waves a counterpoint to the turmoil within her. The sun, a pale disc sinking below the horizon, cast long shadows that stretched and distorted the familiar landscape, mirroring the distorted feelings battling inside her. Forgiveness. The word felt heavy, a stone lodged in her throat, yet the need for it, the yearning for its liberating release, was a powerful current pulling her forward.
• It wasn't just about Julian, her former husband. It was about herself, about the years she’d spent trapped in a cycle of self-blame and resentment, a prisoner of her own past. She’d spent countless hours in therapy, dissecting the intricacies of her abusive marriage, peeling back layers of denial and self-deception to reveal the raw, wounded core beneath. She understood, intellectually, the mechanisms of abuse, the insidious ways in which Julian had chipped away at her self-worth, her confidence, her very sense of self. But understanding didn't equate to forgiveness. Forgiveness required a leap of faith, a willingness to let go of the anger, the bitterness, the pain that had become a part of her very being.
• She stopped walking, the sand cold beneath her bare feet. The ocean's vastness mirrored the immensity of her task. Forgiving Julian wasn’t about condoning his actions, about absolving him of responsibility. It was about releasing herself from the shackles of the past, about freeing herself from the burden of carrying that weight, that resentment, that anger. It was about acknowledging the pain she had endured, validating her own suffering, and then, finally, choosing to let it go.