---- Chapter 8 Thad thought that seeing familiar scenery again would leave me devastated. But strangely enough, when I once more set foot on the streets of Ljubljana, I felt nothing but a strange sense of liberation-like I had finally exhaled after years of holding my breath. Perhaps I had once been naive, thinking that to be loved by just one person for a lifetime was the most important thing in the world. But now, I knew better. Freedom-the longing for it, the pursuit of it- that was what truly mattered. And in the rhythm of solo travel, I found a kind of peace I'd never known before. I even made up my mind: I was going to explore all of Europe. Not someday-now. And for that, I had to thank Levi. ---- Over the years, he had funded my lifestyle-my clothes, my rent, my food. The money I earned for myself had quietly stacked up, untouched. And he -ever the meticulous provider-had continued depositing generous sums into my bank account each month. So now, to my slight amusement, I realized: I was a rich divorcée, a woman who could afford to indulge her every whim, and then some. I spent two months in Slovenia. And during that entire time, I thought of Levi only once. It happened by accident. I had opened my Instagram and stumbled upon an update from his mother. [My sweet grandson is one month old today! Her joy practically burst through the screen. I clicked open the photos and stared for a long ---- while, trying and failing to see any resemblance to Levi. And then I remembered... the child I never had. Was it a boy or a girl? Would it have taken after me, or him? I froze mid-thought, horrified by my own drifting mind. Before sorrow could consume me, I quietly deleted all mutual contacts-the Ezra family, friends, everyone connected to that life. And then, I left. Without looking back, I rushed to the next country. What I didn't know was that, somewhere in Europe, Levi was wandering too. The moment he decided to find me, he was absolutely convinced I would be in Europe. After all, I had once told him-many times, in fact -that my dream was to travel the continent with him, hand in hand.