Chapter 111

• Our drinks arrived a few minutes later. The young woman set them down gently, then walked away without needing to say anything. There was something restful about the way people moved in here. Like they had nothing to prove.
• Julian took a slow sip of his coffee. I wrapped both hands around my tea and just held it for a while. The warmth of the cup against my palms grounded me more than I expected. Outside, a couple passed by with their shoulders drawn close, sharing a single umbrella. The moment felt small, but real. I had come to cherish those moments. Not because they were rare, but because I had finally begun to notice them.
• “I don’t regret leaving,” I said.