Breaking Hearts

A New Beginning

Savannah stepped out of the inn and paused on the pavement.

The morning air was cool, carrying the faint sounds of traffic from the road beyond the parking lot. For a moment, she simply stood there with her handbag hanging from her shoulder, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Last night felt strangely distant.

Almost like something that had happened to someone else.

She looked down at the clothes she was wearing.

Claire had insisted they were only necessities, but Savannah still wasn't entirely comfortable wearing something that probably cost more than she would normally spend on an entire outfit.

She adjusted the strap of her handbag.

She would have to return them somehow.

Or at least pay Brian back.

She wasn't going to let a stranger spend money on her indefinitely.

A black sedan was waiting near the entrance.

The driver stepped out when he saw her.

"Miss Lewis?"

Savannah nodded.

"Yes."

"Good morning. Mr. Lakewood asked me to take you wherever you'd like to go."

She hesitated.

"You know where I live?"

The driver shook his head immediately.

"No, ma'am. Claire told me to let you decide the destination."

Savannah relaxed.

That made much more sense.

"Okay."

She gave him the address of her apartment.

The driver repeated it back to make sure he had heard correctly before opening the rear door for her.

Savannah slipped inside.

As the car pulled away from the inn, she looked through the window.

She could still see the building behind them.

For some reason, she felt a strange reluctance to leave.

Maybe it was because the inn represented the first place she'd felt safe after everything that had happened.

Or maybe it was because of the person who had brought her there.

Brian.

She leaned her head against the window.

She had known him for such a short time.

Yet somehow, he had already managed to complicate her thoughts.

She remembered his voice from the night before.

His calmness.

The way he hadn't demanded an explanation.

The way he had simply accepted that she didn't want to go home.

It was strange.

She had spent years learning how to rely on herself.

And then, in one terrible night, she had called a man she barely knew.

A man who had once been nothing more than a customer at the bar.

She frowned.

Maybe she should be embarrassed.

Instead, she felt something else.

Gratitude.

The car continued through Sunnyvale.

Savannah watched familiar streets pass by.

She would be leaving soon.

Probably within the week.

The thought should have excited her.

Instead, it made her unexpectedly emotional.

This town had been her home for years.

It had given her a place to work.

Friends.

Memories.

And, apparently, one mysterious man who had appeared at the exact moment she needed help.

She shook her head.

"Stop thinking about him."

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

Savannah quickly smiled.

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

She looked back outside.

After a few minutes, the car turned onto her street.

Savannah sat up straighter.

Her apartment building came into view.

"That's it."

The driver pulled over.

Savannah reached for the door, then paused.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She stepped out and watched the sedan drive away.

For a few seconds, she remained standing there.

Then she looked up at her apartment.

Home.

At least for now.

She climbed the stairs and unlocked her door.

The familiar little space greeted her exactly as she'd left it.

Books were stacked beside the sofa.

A few graduation cards sat unopened on the kitchen counter.

Her old work shoes were still near the door.

Everything looked normal.

But Savannah didn't feel normal.

She placed her handbag down and sank onto the sofa.

Her mind immediately returned to Ethan.

Her stomach twisted.

She didn't want to think about him.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

She pulled her knees toward herself and stared at the floor.

The Ethan she had known for years had been dependable.

Kind.

Safe.

But last night had shown her a side of him she hadn't expected.

She couldn't decide what frightened her more—the fact that he had behaved that way or the fact that she had trusted him so completely.

Her phone buzzed.

Savannah looked down.

For a moment, her heart jumped.

She wasn't sure why.

It wasn't Brian.

It was a message from Lily.

Are you alive??? I've been calling you!

Savannah almost laughed.

She quickly typed a reply.

I'm okay. I'll explain later.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

Where are you?

Savannah hesitated.

She didn't want to explain everything over text.

Home. I'll call you soon.

She put the phone down.

Then her eyes drifted toward her handbag.

The black card was still inside.

Brian's number.

She reached for it, turning the card between her fingers.

There was something absurd about how much a tiny piece of black cardstock could occupy her thoughts.

She placed it back in the bag.

Enough.

She needed to focus.

She had a future waiting for her.

Within a few days, she would be leaving Sunnyvale and moving toward the city.

She needed a job.

A proper career.

A life that belonged entirely to her.

Savannah stood and walked toward the small desk near the window.

Her laptop was still sitting there.

She opened it.

There were several job listings she had saved over the previous few weeks.

Marketing assistant.

Junior copywriter.

Content coordinator.

She scanned through them.

One particular listing caught her attention.

It was for a junior position at a growing company in the city.

The requirements were intimidating.

Experience preferred.

Strong communication skills.

Creative thinking.

Marketing knowledge.

Savannah almost closed the page.

Then she stopped.

Junior.

That word mattered.

She didn't need to know everything.

She just needed someone willing to give her a chance.

She clicked Apply.

For the first time that morning, Savannah smiled.

Maybe this was what she needed.

A fresh start.

Something completely separate from Ethan.

Separate from Brian.

Separate from everything that had happened.

She began filling out the application.

She didn't notice how long she worked.

By the time she finally looked at the clock, several hours had passed.

Outside, Sunnyvale continued moving around her.

People went to work.

Cars passed.

Students celebrated the beginning of their summer.

And Savannah quietly began building the next chapter of her life.

She had no idea that, somewhere across the city, two very different men were about to become part of it.

And neither of them knew yet just how much she would change theirs.