Chapter 1 – The Letter
Evelyn Carter had moved on. Or at least, that's what she told herself.
Seven years had passed since Adrian Hale disappeared from her life. No goodbye. No explanation. Just… gone.
She had waited for answers. They never came.
So she stopped waiting.
Now, she had a new life. She was engaged to Michael, a man who loved her. She had a good job, a future that felt safe.
But everything changed the moment she saw the letter.
It was sitting on her doorstep when she got home. A plain white envelope. No return address.
She bent down and picked it up, feeling a strange unease settle in her chest.
Then she saw the handwriting.
Her fingers tightened around the paper. No. It couldn't be.
She hadn't seen this handwriting in years, but she knew it instantly.
Her hands shook as she opened the envelope.
A single piece of paper.
One sentence.
> "Evelyn, I never meant to leave you."
Her heart stopped.
The letter slipped from her fingers, floating to the floor.
Her breath came in short, uneven gasps.
This wasn't possible.
Adrian was gone. He had been gone for seven years.
So why did it feel like he had just walked back into her life?
And why—after all this time—did his words still hurt?