I made it back. This was the right decision, wasn't it? I won't come to regret this later. At least, I hope so. Hope? Yeah, that's the way forward. I hope I don't regret my choice, and I hope it leads to the future I truly want. Nothing is set in stone yet, so it is better if I look forward to tomorrow rather than fear it. I know there will be times when my resolve is challenged, times when I will want to give in, and times when I will mess things up and lose hope all over again. But even so, I hope, with every fiber of my heart, that I will find the force of will to stand back up, just as I've done time and time again.
The weight of those thoughts settled comfortably in my chest as the familiar architecture of the upper levels began to stabilize around me. Every breath felt a little deeper, grounded in the quiet realization that my choices were my own to bear.
