Chapter 1: Starting Over
Two months later, Emma and Liam were trying.
No headlines. No secrets. No assistants sneaking glances.
Just quiet mornings, shared breakfasts, and the clumsy, awkward dance of figuring each other out again.
Emma moved into a sunlit loft in Tribeca, close—but not too close—to Liam.
They agreed: they needed space to grow together… and separately.
Some nights they cuddled on her couch, eating takeout in silence. Others, they argued over everything—trust, time, and unresolved wounds.
But every time, they came back to one truth:
They wanted this.
Chapter 2: The Interview Offer
Emma received an email from The New Yorker.
They wanted her to join full-time.
Big stories. National syndication. Huge exposure.
But it came with a catch:
She’d have to relocate to Los Angeles.
“Are you going to take it?” Liam asked that night, reading her silence.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve spent so long chasing my dream… but now that I have you, I’m scared I’ll lose it.”
He took her hand gently. “If I’m the reason you turn down your dream, I’m not the man I promised to be.”
Chapter 3: Stormclouds
Despite their agreement, the news strained their fragile balance.
Emma could sense him pulling away again—not in silence this time, but in distance. Cancelled dinners. Late nights at work. Excuses wrapped in smiles.
She confronted him.
“Say it, Liam. Say you don’t want me to go.”
He looked at her for a long moment. “If I say that… you’ll stay. And part of you will hate me forever.”
She whispered, “And if I go?”
“I’ll break… quietly.”
Chapter 4: The Goodbye Party
Emma didn’t throw a party—but her friends did. A small rooftop gathering. Music, laughter, fairy lights.
Liam arrived late. Wearing a dark suit, but no smile.
He pulled her aside. Slipped a small velvet box into her hand.
Inside—a delicate silver key.
“It’s to my apartment,” he said. “Not because I expect you to stay. But because if you ever want to come back… I want it to still feel like home.”
Tears burned her eyes.
“You’re not asking me to stay?”
“I’m asking you not to say goodbye.”
Chapter 5: Love Across Time Zones
Los Angeles was beautiful—but lonely.
Emma thrived professionally. Published two viral stories. Met brilliant people. But every time her phone buzzed with a New York number, her heart raced.
Late-night FaceTimes.
Handwritten letters mailed across the country.
Once, Liam even surprised her with a visit—just for 24 hours.
He held her like it was the last time, then whispered, “One day, we’ll be in the same city… for the rest of our lives.”
Chapter 6: The Return
Six months later, Emma’s editor offered her something unexpected:
“How would you like to lead our New York division?”
Her heart leapt.
The moment she landed back in NYC, she didn’t even unpack.
She went straight to Liam’s building.
Used the key.
Walked in. Candlelight flickered in the kitchen. Music played low.
He turned—and froze. “You’re here.”
She dropped her bags, ran to him, and whispered through tears, “This time… I’m home.”