Abandoned at the Service Station, I Watched His Taillights Fade Chapter 10

Abandoned at the Service Station, I Watched His Taillights Fade Chapter 10

The early morning air in Melbourne was crisp and damp with a clean chill.

I pushed open my apartment door.

Gavin was already waiting downstairs in a trench coat, holding two fresh croissants.

“Morning.”

He handed me one with a smile.

“It’s nice out. Want to walk by the beach before we head to the studio?”

I took a bite of the pastry. The crust was flaky, rich with butter.

“Sounds good.”

We fell into step together on the street that led down to the shore.

Back home, it was probably the dead of night by now.

I’d heard that after Ethan got back, he never let Sophie into his company. He became withdrawn and silent, burying himself in work until he was nothing but a workaholic.

And Sophie resigned from all the shiny student council roles she used to hold, moving to a new city where no one knew her name to start over.

But none of that could touch me anymore.

The waves crashed against the rocks in a steady, rhythmic beat. On the distant horizon, a red sun was slowly rising, golden light breaking through the clouds and spilling across the shimmering water, painting the whole world in warm colors.

Gavin turned to look at me, the morning light reflected in his eyes.

“What are you thinking about?”

I breathed in deep, the salt-tinged wind filling my lungs, making me feel incredibly awake.

I smiled. “I was just thinking the light is perfect for painting today.”

I once stood in the freezing dark at a rest stop on I-95 and watched a car carrying all my hopes disappear into the night without a backward glance.

Back then, I thought my life would plunge into that same darkness.

But now I know.

As long as you’re willing to turn around and stop chasing taillights that were never meant for you, you’ll always find your way to your own dawn.