Chapter 41 The Reality Check

• Bryan
• The map was littered with far too many Xs now, each one a failure, a missed opportunity. How had she managed to vanish so effortlessly, traveling with nothing, no resources to sustain her? The realization hit hard: I had made the mistake of underestimating her. Another weight added to the growing pile of regrets. After the time I spent with her, I never expected her to slip away like sand through my fingers.
• I once deemed her too weak without me, and now she was proving just how wrong I had been. I spoke of strength without truly understanding it, and I had been blind to the quiet resilience that had always burned within her. Leora possessed more strength than I ever would have given her credit for.