Ava heard Ethan call out her name, but she didn't look back. Her heart clenched in pain as she walked toward the main gates, struggling to hold back tears.

'I must not cry! They are not worth it!' she thought to herself as she marched on.

Ethan had sounded so distraught that she almost ran back into his arms, but she had had enough. She wasn't going back, not this time. Five years of broken promises and quiet disappointments had finally crystallized into resolve.

She reached into ...