Chapter Quote:
"Sometimes, letting go isn't giving up. It's choosing to rise again without what once broke you." — Unknown
[INT. AIRPLANE CABIN – NIGHT – ZARA'S POV]
The hum of the aircraft was low and steady, almost like a whisper of the past trying to calm her heart.
ZARA (V.O.)
(soft)
I left. Just like that. But memories don't board planes… they sit with you, uninvited.
Zara turned to look at David beside her, sleeping peacefully. The world outside the window was a blur of stars and distance. Her heart, however, played its own cinema.
FLASHBACK — INT. LEO'S APARTMENT – 1 YEAR AGO
Leo on one knee, holding the velvet box open. Her tears didn't fall from joy, but from fear… the fear of something missing. Something she now knew was truth.
BACK TO PRESENT
ZARA (V.O.)
I loved him. I think… I still do, in fragments. But this is me choosing myself. For once, I'm not chasing, not begging to be understood. I'm just… flying away.
She closed her eyes and exhaled as if purging him from her bloodstream. Her fingers gently touched her pendant — the one Leo gave her.
ZARA (V.O.)
Goodbye, Leo. Goodbye, who I thought I was.
[INT. CAFE TERRACE – EVENING – NINA AND KELLAN]
Nina laughed — not a forced laugh, not a tired one — a real, light, spontaneous laugh. Kellan looked at her, captivated.
KELLAN
There it is again. That laugh. You should do it more often. It suits you.
NINA
(smiling)
I'm not used to laughing this freely. It feels like cheating on sadness.
KELLAN
Or maybe you're finally letting it rest.
There was a quietness between them — not awkward, but warm. Her hand accidentally brushed his, and he didn't move. Neither did she.
[EXT. STREETS – NIGHT – LEO AND AMARA WALKING QUIETLY]
Leo and Amara walked in silence, their shoulders occasionally brushing. The night wind tugged at her coat.
AMARA
You've changed.
LEO
Pain does that. So does guilt.
They stopped under a streetlight. Her eyes met his, the same eyes she once ran from.
AMARA
You're still hiding something.
LEO
(quietly)
I'm afraid of what the truth might destroy
AMARA
Then it's already destroying you.
A beat. A painful beat.
LEO
But I need you to stay, Amara.
Amara hesitated… then slowly leaned her head on his shoulder.
[INT. NINA'S APARTMENT – LATER THAT NIGHT]
The window was open. The breeze kissed her skin as she stared at a photo of her mother.
NINA (V.O.)
She's lying to me. I feel it. She's hiding something… something about me, about Leo. Why does my heart panic every time I see them together?
She closed her eyes, but Leo's smile still danced in her mind. Then, a different thought came, sharp and dark.
NINA (V.O.)
What if… what if he's family?
Her chest tightened. She stood up quickly, knocking the frame over. Glass shattered.
NINA
(whispering to herself)
No… no, it can't be…
[INT. AIRPORT ARRIVAL HALL – DAVID AND ZARA – FINAL SCENE]
Zara wheels her suitcase beside David. A new country. A new life.
DAVID
You ready?
ZARA
(half smile)
Not really. But sometimes, you don't wait to be ready. You just go.
They walk toward the exit.
ZARA (V.O.)
Maybe one day, I'll return. But not as the girl who cried over a man. I'll come back as the woman who grew from it.
—ZARA'S
"I left the city, but I didn't leave without scars. Love like Leo's doesn't just vanish… but healing starts with distance. And maybe David… maybe he's not just a chapter filler. Maybe he's a new page."
—NINA'S
"Something is wrong. Something about me… about him… doesn't add up. I feel it like a shadow on my heart. But Kellan — he makes the ache quieter. I'm not ready to love, but I think he's willing to wait."
—LEO'S
"I see Nina in every corner of my regret. But it's Amara's eyes that hold me together. If only I could stop the storm coming. If only I knew who Nina really is before my past does."
—AMARA'S
"Loving Leo is like holding fire. You want its warmth, but it burns. And yet… I keep returning to the flame. What am I becoming?
FADES OUT