Ellie had that look in her eyes again, the same sharp determination she always carried when it came to Isaac. She cornered him in the narrow corridors of the Roanoke, her voice firm but trembling at the edges.

“Isaac,” she pressed, “you don’t have to stay tied down. You don’t owe him anything. You and I-we still…” She trailed off, the words choking as if she wasn’t sure she believed them herself.

You’d stepped into the room halfway through, quiet, watching. Isaac’s shoulders tightened the moment she reached out, fingers brushing his arm like she wanted to reel him back into her orbit.

But Isaac didn’t move toward her. He didn’t soften. Instead, he took a half-step back, shaking his head slowly. “Ellie… I don’t miss us. I don’t miss you.” His voice was low, steady, but it cut through the air like steel. “That part of my life is over.”