Theo froze. Despite rushing down from the room, through the hotel lobby, and onto the road near the beach, he stopped in his tracks.
Daisy was there, about thirty meters away, walking alongside Aurora and Adam, laughing softly at something Adam had said. She looked… alive. Unburdened. Happy. Not like him. Every day without her had been a slow, grinding torture, each moment spent apart clawing at him.
His gaze flicked down to the small keychain in his hand, the baby crochet he had picked up earlier at the shop. The sight of it suddenly made the heaviness in his chest tighten. 'Are you really this happy? Does life without me feel this… free?'
He raised his eyes to her as she walked away, a mix of longing and unease twisting inside him.
Without realizing it, Theo began to follow, keeping his distance. His footsteps were careful, measured, almost instinctively cautious. He didn't want to draw attention, didn't want her to know he was there, most importantly... didn't want her to run.
