Days later, Aiden left a letter at Leila's door. It held the truth of his past, written in trembling ink. A shipwreck, a mistake, a life he couldn't save. It was his confession and his fear. The letter ended with a single question: "Can you love someone who's still learning how to forgive himself?"
Leila read it twice, heart aching, but her resolve steady. Pain shared is pain halved. That evening, she lit a candle and placed it by her window—an unspoken signal. When Aiden looked out from the lighthouse and saw the light, he knew she wasn't running.