I agreed.
The days after that were filled with painting, exhibition prep, and, unfortunately, dealing with Callum’s constant attempts to
see me.
Until one day, he simply didn’t show up.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Finally, I could focus entirely on my work.
But just as I was mixing my paints, the phone rang. It was the police.
“Hello, Diana Fowler? Callum Ressler is here at the station. Would you mind coming in?”
I wanted to say no. But he didn’t know anyone else here. So I put down my brush and went.
When I arrived, Callum’s face was a mess of bruises. He was glaring murderously at a man crouched on the floor.
The moment he saw me, the fight drained out of him. His posture sagged, sheepish. “You came,” he murmured.
I ignored him and walked straight over to the officer.
Turned out, his wallet had been stolen. He’d gotten into a fight trying to get it back, and in retaliation, the thief had tossed it
into the river.
Everything was gone–his phone, his ID, his money–sunk deep and unrecoverable.
I sighed
After the police finished their reprimand, I took him outside.
He looked at me, voice low and hopeful. “Diana… I don’t have anywhere else to go. Can I stay at your place?”
“No.” My answer was flat. “Callum, we’re a man and a woman. We’re not in a relationship where we can live under the same roof.”
His eyes turned red. “What do I have to do to make you forgive me?”
I looked at him and shook my head. “I never blamed you. You just kept projecting the emotions you thought I should have. This–helping you today–it’s the last bit of kindness I can give you.”
1/2
Chapter 10
I took out my phone, held it up in front of him.
“I bought you a ticket. You’re flying back tonight.”
Callum deflated like a balloon. He looked at me. “Will you come back, though?”
“I will. That’s my home. Of course I’ll go back,” I said. “But I won’t see you again.”
I hailed a cab and put him in it, sending him off to the airport.
Just before leaving, he burst into tears.
+25 BONUS
I waved a hand nonchalantly.
People only get one life. We can’t let one single thing ruin the whole of it. Looking back now, what once felt unbearable was
nothing more than a ripple in the vast, endless sea.
=
“Diana… I’m sorry.”
