Lucas sat on the edge of the hotel bed, the note Isla had left still folded in his hand. The quiet of the suite was oppressive, filled only with the distant hum of the city waking up. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions-confusion, anger, guilt, and a desperate longing to understand what had gone wrong.
His phone buzzed again on the nightstand. This time, the screen lit up with Emma's name. He stared at it for a long moment, fingers hovering over the screen. He wasn't sure if he was ready to talk, but something deep inside told him this was the moment to reach out.
He swiped to answer.
"Lucas," Emma's voice came through, steady but with an undercurrent of concern. "I'm glad you picked up."
"Emma," he said, voice rough from disuse. "I wasn't sure you'd want to talk to me."
There was a brief pause, then a soft sigh. "I do. I want to talk about Isla. About you. About everything."
Lucas swallowed hard. "Where do I even start?"
Emma's voice softened. "Start with why you're calling me now."
He looked out the window, watching the city stretch beneath the morning light. "Isla left. Before dawn. Without a word. I don't know where she went, or why she didn't say goodbye."
Emma's breath hitched slightly. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I know this is hard."
"It's more than hard," he admitted. "I feel like I'm losing her all over again."
Emma was silent for a moment. Then she said, "That's why I wanted to talk. I don't want to see Isla unhappy again. You need to find her, Lucas. You owe her that much."
His heart clenched. "I thought she wanted to disappear. That she didn't want to talk to me."
Emma's voice was gentle but firm. "She's not just avoiding you. There's something deeper. Something she's scared to say. You need to find out the real reason she's shutting you out."
Lucas's fingers tightened around the phone. "I don't even know what that is."
Emma hesitated. "Neither do I. But I know it's there. And it's bigger than what you think."
He closed his eyes, memories flooding in-the wedding night, the way Isla had looked at him with fear and pain, the way she'd packed her bags without a word. "Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't she trust me?"
Emma's voice cracked slightly. "Because she's scared, Lucas. Scared of being hurt again. Scared of what might happen if she lets you in."
Lucas's throat tightened. "I never wanted to hurt her."
"I know," Emma said softly. "But sometimes love isn't enough when there are wounds that run deep."
He opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. "The divorce. Five years ago. Maybe that's part of it. Maybe she's still carrying the pain from back then."
Emma nodded. "Exactly. You need to talk to her about that too. Explain yourself. Understand what really went wrong between you two. Maybe, just maybe, you can fix everything."
Lucas's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't know if I'm ready."
Emma's tone was gentle but insistent. "No one ever is. But sometimes, the hardest conversations are the ones that save us."
He sighed, a mixture of fear and hope swirling inside him. "Alright. I'll find her. I'll try."
Emma smiled, relief threading through her words. "Good. Isla deserves that. And so do you."
The line went silent, leaving Lucas alone with the weight of his decision. He set the phone down and ran a hand through his hair, the resolve settling in his chest like a slow-burning fire.
Lucas leaned back against the headboard, his mind drifting to the past-the years before the wedding, before the silence, before the heartbreak.
He remembered the early days with Isla-the laughter, the stolen moments, the way she had made him feel alive. But he also remembered the cracks that had formed, the misunderstandings, the unspoken fears.
The divorce had been painful, a slow unraveling of something they both once believed in. There had been anger, betrayal, and a deep sense of loss. But beneath it all was a shared fear-fear of vulnerability, fear of being hurt.
Lucas thought about the last time they had really talked, before everything fell apart. The harsh words, the slammed doors, the promises broken.
He wondered if Isla felt the same way-if she was haunted by those memories as much as he was.
Across town, Emma sat in her small apartment, the phone still warm in her hand. She had known Isla for years, seen her struggle with the ghosts of her past and the weight of her fears.
Emma had watched Isla's pain grow, the way she pushed people away, the way she ran from love.
She cared deeply for her friend and hated seeing her suffer in silence.
That's why she had reached out to Lucas. Because despite everything, she believed in the love they once shared. She believed that if Lucas could just understand Isla's pain-and if Isla could trust him again-they might find a way back to each other.
Emma sighed, hoping that Lucas was ready for the journey ahead.
Back in his hotel room, Lucas stood and began pacing. The city outside was alive with possibility, but inside, he felt trapped by his own doubts.
He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through old messages, photos, anything that might give him a clue to where Isla had gone.
He thought about calling Madeline, but the memory of their last conversation stopped him. He didn't want more manipulation or lies.
Instead, he dialed Emma's number again.
"Emma," he said when she answered, "I need your help. I don't know where to start looking for Isla."
Emma's voice was steady. "I'll come to you. We'll figure this out together."
Lucas felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this was the beginning of something new.
The Past Revisited
That evening, Lucas and Emma sat in a quiet café, the soft murmur of other patrons around them. Emma pulled out a small notebook, filled with notes and contacts.
"We need to start with the people Isla trusts," Emma said. "Friends, family, anyone she might have turned to."
Lucas nodded, feeling the weight of the task ahead. "And what about the divorce? I need to explain myself to her. I need to understand what really happened."
Emma looked at him thoughtfully. "That's going to be the hardest part. But it's necessary. You can't fix the future without facing the past."
Lucas swallowed hard. "I'm ready to try."
As the night deepened, Lucas felt a strange mix of fear and determination. The path ahead was uncertain, filled with unknowns and old wounds.
But for the first time in a long time, he felt a spark of hope.
He would find Isla. He would uncover the truth she was hiding. And maybe-just maybe-they could heal the fractures o
f their past and build something new.
Because some loves were worth fighting for, no matter the cost.