Instead, she felt something unfamiliar.
Relief.
Not happiness.
Not yet.
Just relief.
She picked up the small bag containing her belongings.
Inside was her old waitress notebook.
The same one she carried every day.
She opened it.
Between the pages was a folded piece of paper she had never seen before.
Her heart slowed.
She unfolded it carefully.
There were only a few handwritten words.
Lena,
If you are reading this, then you finally found the courage to leave.
I know you probably don’t understand why I helped you that night at the diner.
You think it was kindness.
It wasn’t only kindness.
There is something about your past that you were never told.
Something about your family.
Something Vincent promised he would never reveal unless you were in danger.
The handwriting stopped there.
Lena stared at the page.
Her hands trembled.
Family?
She read the final line.
