Angela sat alone in her new apartment, the city skyline stretching out before her through the window. The apartment was modest, a far cry from the mansion she had once called home, but it was hers. The walls were still bare, the furniture sparse, but for the first time in weeks, she felt something resembling peace.
Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation with Jonas at the bar. She hadn't been able to shake his words from her mind. He had said she could move on, that she was stronger than the weight of her pain. Could it be true? Could she really let go of the years of betrayal and deceit that had shaped her?
The sound of her phone ringing broke her from her thoughts. She looked down at the screen, and her heart sank. It was a message from her old friend, Clara.
"Angela, I heard about the Vanghues. Are you okay? You need to talk?"
Angela stared at the message for a long time, her mind torn between pushing everyone away and seeking comfort in the familiar. But the truth was, she was tired of being alone. She was tired of carrying the burden of her past on her own shoulders.
She quickly typed a reply: "I'll meet you in an hour. Westside Café."
---
The café was cozy, a quiet refuge tucked away from the busy streets of the city. Angela walked inside, spotting Clara immediately at a corner table. Clara waved at her, a warm smile on her face.
"Angela, I'm so glad you agreed to meet," Clara said as Angela slid into the seat across from her.
Angela forced a smile, but her thoughts were far away. She hadn't seen Clara in over a year, and yet, she felt like no time had passed. Clara was the only person who had ever truly cared about her, the only one who hadn't tried to manipulate her.
"Clara, I don't know where to begin," Angela said, her voice strained. "Everything has been... so messed up. I thought I had control over my life, but now, it feels like it's all slipping through my fingers."
Clara reached across the table and gently squeezed Angela's hand. "You don't have to do this alone, Angela. You've been through so much, but you're still here. And that counts for something."
Angela's eyes filled with tears, but she held them back. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. I was living in a lie for so long. I don't even know who I am anymore."
Clara's smile softened. "You're Angela. That's all you need to be. It's okay not to have all the answers right now."
Angela shook her head, the weight of everything crashing down on her. "How do you move on from something like this? How do you forgive them? Or better yet, how do you forgive yourself for letting it happen?"
Clara leaned back in her chair, thinking for a moment. "Forgiveness doesn't happen overnight. But sometimes, forgiveness isn't about the other person. It's about freeing yourself. You can't let them keep you chained to the past. You're worth so much more than that."
Angela's chest tightened. Clara was right, but she didn't know how to start. How do you forgive the people who had stolen your future? How do you look at yourself in the mirror and not feel like a stranger?
"I don't know if I can forgive them," Angela whispered.
Clara's eyes softened. "You don't have to forgive them to heal. You just need to start healing for you. Do it because you deserve peace, not because they deserve your forgiveness."
Angela's breath caught in her throat. She had been so consumed by anger and resentment that she had forgotten what it meant to take care of herself. Maybe Clara was right. Maybe it was time to stop living for others and start living for herself.
---
After they parted ways, Angela walked the streets of the city, her thoughts a whirlpool of confusion. But something had shifted in her. She felt... lighter, in a way. The weight of the past wasn't gone, but it no longer had a hold on her. And for the first time in a long time, she felt a flicker of hope.
She didn't have to have everything figured out. She didn't need all the answers right now. She just had to keep moving forward, one step at a time.
As she walked back to her apartment, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she was starting to heal.