Chapter 49

• Vanessa’s POV
• I stepped out of Richard's car and watched him drive away. A wave of nostalgia washed over me, tinged with a sense of melancholy. The familiar sights and sounds of my apartment building stirred memories long buried, but for some reason, they no longer felt like home. Deep down, I knew this place was no longer where I belonged. It was a temporary stop on a journey that had taken me far from where I started, and I couldn't shake the feeling of displacement that gnawed at my insides.
• Pushing aside the unsettling thoughts, I made my way inside the building. The familiar click of the door locking behind me echoed in the empty hallway. As I ascended the stairs to my floor, a sense of apprehension mingled with the nostalgia, the weight of uncertainty hanging heavy in the air.