Joanne's lips twitched into the ghost of a smile. "No. You can't."
The clerk blinked. "Can't?"
Joanne's eyes stayed on the parcel. "Can you name the cost of a broken heart?"
The clerk didn't answer. She didn't have to.
Joanne slid the parcel across the counter. The moment it left her fingers, she felt the loss—like a string inside her had been severed. A whisper inside her screamed to take it back. Hold on. Just one more day. What if he comes?
But she didn't move.
This was for the best. For her sanity. For his future. For the life he had chosen. For the child that was his now.
She took a step back. Then another.
And then she turned.
She didn't look back.
Not this time.
She let out a deep breath, stepping out. The wind had turned cold. Fall was approaching.
Another winter… alone…
She could only sigh. After all, she was used to being alone.
-----
The days turned. Slowly, gently. The world didn't end, though it had felt like it might.
