I studied the words for a moment.
Then I turned to a clean page.
This time, I wrote a different question.
What do I want?
And instead of leaving it unanswered, I began making a list.
I wanted a home where Kieran would always feel loved and secure.
I wanted a life where respect was something I could expect, not something I had to beg for.
And I wanted enough confidence in myself to walk away from any future that required me to sacrifice my dignity just to keep someone else comfortable.
I read the list once more.
Then I closed the notebook.
The truth was, I still loved Callum.
I didn’t know whether that feeling would ever disappear.
And I didn’t know whether our marriage could someday be repaired.
But I finally understood something that had taken me far too long to learn.
Loving someone didn’t mean accepting every decision they made about your life.
It didn’t mean allowing them to redefine your marriage without your consent.
And it certainly didn’t mean losing yourself just to keep them happy.
For the first time in years, my future wasn’t going to be determined by what Callum wanted.
This time, I would decide where I belonged.
