Chapter 10 — When the World Knocks
The following week moved like slow rain — soft but unrelenting.
Dylan and Erica had fallen into a rhythm again, fragile but hopeful. She stayed at the cabin most nights now, helping him care for his father, cooking when she could, leaving small notes tucked into his jacket pockets that said things like "You're stronger than you think."
Dylan never said much about it, but every time he found one, she'd catch the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
Still, the storm hadn't passed completely. It lingered — in the form of medical bills piling on the table, phone calls from the hospital, and the constant uncertainty of what tomorrow might bring.
One morning, as Erica poured coffee, Dylan walked in with a folded letter in his hand. His expression was unreadable.
"What's that?" she asked.
He placed it on the counter. "Job offer."
Her heart skipped. "That's great, isn't it?"
"Maybe." He leaned against the counter, rubbing his temple. "It's from that construction company in Chicago. They've been trying to get me for months."
Erica froze. "Chicago? That's hours away."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah."
For a long moment, neither spoke. The hum of the refrigerator filled the silence like background noise in a movie that was about to turn sad.
"So what are you thinking?" she finally asked, her voice careful.
"I don't know. It's good money. Stable work. I could pay off the hospital debt faster."
"But you'd have to leave," she said softly.
Dylan sighed, the sound heavy enough to fill the room. "Yeah. And that's the part I can't figure out."
Erica set the coffee pot down, the scent suddenly too sharp. "You're thinking about leaving, aren't you?"
He looked up, eyes conflicted. "I'm thinking about surviving."
The words hit her like cold water. She wanted to argue — to tell him that survival meant nothing if it came without love, without them — but something in his expression stopped her.
She swallowed hard. "And what about us?"
His silence said everything.
Erica turned away before he could see the tears welling up. She leaned against the counter, clutching the edge as if holding herself steady. "You said you were done running."
"This isn't running," he said softly. "This is… trying to make a life that doesn't keep falling apart."
She laughed bitterly. "And where do I fit into that life, Dylan? Do I get a place in it, or just a memory?"
He took a step closer, reaching for her hand, but she pulled back.
"I don't know what's right anymore," he admitted. "But I know I can't lose everything again. Not my dad. Not you. Not everything I've worked for."
"Then don't make me choose between you and your life," she whispered.
He looked at her, and in that moment, she saw the boy he used to be — the one who'd learned that love came with loss, and loss came without warning.
"I'm not asking you to choose," he said. "I'm asking you to believe I'll come back if I go."
The air grew still again. Outside, the first hints of autumn painted the trees gold and crimson.
Erica's voice trembled. "Just promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"When the world knocks, don't shut me out this time. Let me in — even from miles away."
He nodded slowly. "I promise."
But in her heart, she wasn't sure if promises meant much to a man who'd built his whole life on learning how to walk away.
Erica stared at the glowing screen until the words blurred.
You still haven't told him the truth, have you?
Her heart pounded so loudly it felt like the whole cabin could hear it.
No name. No number. No clue who it was.
She tried calling the sender, but the line went straight to voicemail.
Panic rippled through her chest. Only two people in her life knew what those words meant — and both of them were supposed to be gone from her world for good.
Her mind spun through memories she didn't want to remember: a broken promise, a letter she never sent, a mistake she thought would never surface again.
Erica gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles went white.
Not now. Please not now.
The front door burst open. Dylan stood there, wind-blown and pale, the hospital still clinging to him.
"Dad's stable," he said quickly. "They fixed the bleed, but it was close."
She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. He held her tightly, his body trembling with exhaustion.
For a long time, they just stood there — breathing the same air, hearts beating in uneven rhythm.
When he finally pulled back, she saw the strain etched into his face. "I thought I was going to lose him," he whispered.
"You didn't," she said softly. "He's still here. You both are."
He nodded, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "They'll keep him for a few more days. I'll go back tomorrow."
"Do you want me to come?"
He hesitated. "I… yeah. I'd like that."
The simple honesty in his voice nearly broke her. She wanted to tell him everything right then — about the message, about the secret that wouldn't stay buried — but his eyes were too tired, too heavy with other pain.
"Dylan," she said instead, "there's something I—"
Before she could finish, his phone buzzed again. He frowned, glanced at the screen, and his expression changed. "The job manager from Chicago," he muttered.
"Take it," she said, forcing her voice steady.
He answered, pacing near the window while Erica watched him, her stomach twisting tighter with each passing second.
"Yeah," he said into the phone. "I'm still considering… No, I haven't made up my mind yet… I'll let you know soon."
When he hung up, he looked at her. "They want an answer tonight."
"Then give them one," she said quietly.
He blinked, surprised. "What?"
"Don't wait for me to decide your life for you. If this is what you need, take it."
Dylan frowned. "Why does it sound like you're already letting go?"
"Because sometimes holding on too tightly hurts more than losing," she whispered.
He crossed the room in two strides and caught her gaze. "Erica, what aren't you telling me?"
Her pulse jumped. For a second, she thought of the message again — of the truth she'd hidden for too long — but she forced a smile. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
He studied her face for a long moment, searching for the lie he must have sensed, but then he sighed and nodded. "Okay."
When he turned away, she let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
That night, long after Dylan fell asleep on the couch, Erica sat by the window with her phone still in her hand. She opened the message again, reread it until her stomach twisted.
Then another notification appeared — the same unknown number.
You can't hide it forever.
The phone slipped from her fingers, landing on the floor with a soft thud.
Outside, thunder rolled across the hills — low, distant, and heavy, like a warning.
And for the first time in years, Erica truly felt afraid.
To be continued.....