Jared woke up before dawn, the faint light of morning creeping through the cracks in the windows. He couldn't shake the feeling of her touch on his shoulder the night before, the way she had looked at him, her voice both soft and firm, a promise wrapped in uncertainty.
It's not forgiveness, Jared. Not yet. But you're here. You're not gone anymore.
He had never felt a glimmer of hope so fragile yet so powerful.
When he left Georgia's home, the weight of his past still hung heavy around his neck, but it was lighter than before. He wasn't sure if it was her quiet acceptance of his presence or the faintest hint of something more in her eyes, but it was enough. It was a thread he could grasp onto.
The sun hadn't yet fully risen, and Georgia's village was still asleep when he saddl
