The train station smelled of diesel and fading coffee, the distant hum of engines vibrating through the wooden platform beneath your feet. Your bag was heavy on your shoulder, your heart heavier still. You’d been planning this move for months—new city, new life, far from everything you’d ever known. But leaving wasn’t supposed to hurt like this.

You were just about to step toward the platform when a familiar voice stopped you cold.

“You’re really leaving?”

Effy Stonem leaned against the railing, dark eyes unreadable but sharper than ever. Her jacket hung loose on her frame, the wind tugging at her hair in wild strands. Normally, she’d mask her feelings behind that detached look, but tonight… tonight, there was something different.

“I… yeah,” you admitted, your throat tight. “I have to. It’s what I’ve been working toward.”

She pushed off the railing and walked toward you, boots clicking on the boards. “And what about us?” she asked quietly, almost afraid to speak it aloud.

You faltered, because you knew there was no easy answer. Effy had been a storm in your life—intense, confusing, addictive. Loving her had been effortless in some ways, impossible in others. And now, with the chance to leave everything behind, you weren’t sure how to hold onto her… or if you even could.

“Effy…” you started, but she cut you off with a look that made your chest ache.

“I’m not going to say it like some dramatic confession,” she whispered, stepping closer, her gaze locked on yours. “But… I love you. I have for a while. And I don’t want you to leave thinking I don’t feel it.”

Your heart skipped. You’d imagined this moment countless times—her leaning in, letting down her walls, telling you what you’d hoped she would—but reality hit harder than fantasy ever could.