ADELINE's POV
I paced around the garden, unsettled, as if I were unwelcome inside—as if I hadn’t earned the right to cross that threshold. Was I even close enough to him to do so anymore? Our friendship had faded to a shadow of what it once was. It had been a big step for him to attend my wedding, but neither of us had called each other since. Perhaps that silence was best for us both.
I’d held on to the keys to Ian’s house and studio; the realtor called, asking if I’d mind mailing them back since he had a showing that day. But for some reason, I found myself here, handing them over in person, as if this were a final goodbye. If the studio sold soon, it felt like his presence would vanish from my life for good.
Since he left, I’d felt an inexplicable void, one I couldn’t seem to shake.
