Falling For Us Again

Prologue

Jenna

I left Hartlow at dawn.

Before anyone in town had woken up.

Tears blur my vision as I hoist the last of my luggage into the trunk, each bag a weighty reminder of the life I'm leaving behind. I cast a desperate glance around as I run a hand over the locket around my neck, hoping against reason for a miracle that will never come.

My mother will appear, her presence a balm that erases years of pain in one warm embrace. I’ll melt into her sweet scent, and all will be well with the world again.

Perhaps my father will return, ready to atone for all the ways he failed me.

Finally, Dylan would be there, and all would be well with the world.

Oh Dylan… What have I done?

I blink away tears, refusing to let them fall. To cry now would be to admit defeat.

My fingers clench around the edge of my suitcase until the sharp edges cut into my skin, a physical pain that mirrors the one in my chest.

I glance once more at the quaint houses lining the street, each window a mirror reflecting memories, most of which I'd rather forget.

In the distance, the church spire stands tall against a sky tinged with the hazy hues of dawn.

Beside me, Aunt Mila smiles warmly, her eyes betraying a hint of sympathy that I'm too proud to acknowledge. Will she regret pulling me from this place?

Poor Aunt Mila, unaware of the burden she has chosen to shoulder.

The engine hums to life as Aunt Mila starts the car, the sound a melancholy soundtrack to my final departure from the only home I've ever known.

Hartlow—a town of whispered secrets and painful memories—fades in the rearview mirror, each passing mile a separation from a past I can no longer endure.

The wind whips through the open window, stinging my cheeks, a fitting final farewell. I turn away, refusing to let Hartlow witness my tears, unwilling to grant it the satisfaction of seeing my pain.

As we drive away, the town shrinks into the distance, its silhouette etched against the rising morning clouds. Memories—mostly bleak and traumatic—flash through my mind like scenes from a movie I never wanted to star in.

I reach for the window switch, the glass rising with a mechanical whirr that seals Hartlow from my sight. At that moment, I make a silent vow never to look back.

Happy birthday to me…