tw. suicide note, mentions of suicide and main character deaths.

He found it later.

Folded on the nightstand, tucked under his scarf.

Jay —
If you ever come back, I hope you understand.
I couldn't carry both of our ghosts anymore.
You were always the brave one.
I'm sorry I wasn't.
I love you.
— M.

Jason kept the scarf.

And the note.

He visited her, at her grave that's beside Melina, beneath a headstone that read:
Maeve Sanders — "Always trying to save someone. Even herself."

And every year on her birthday, Jason left a single daisy.

Because she liked simple things.

And because he never stopped loving her.

Even after death.

The light after,

She didn't expect heaven.

She never thought she'd deserve it.

But it didn't look like clouds or golden gates — it looked like home.

Not the apartment with the cracked tiles.

Not the mansion she never belonged to.

But something warm. Safe.

The kind of place where bruises never formed, where the past couldn't follow.

She had been waiting.

Not for redemption.

Not for peace.

Just... for Maeve.

She felt it before she saw her.

A ripple in the air.

A warmth in her chest that hadn't existed since the day she left that apartment, dragged by a man she didn't love into a fate she couldn't escape.

She turned.

And Maeve was there.

Standing just as she remembered her — tired eyes, stubborn jaw, wearing that awful hoodie Jason gave her.

She looked lost. Like she'd only just arrived.

Melina didn't speak.

She just ran.

Wrapped her arms around Maeve and held on like she'd drown if she let go.

Maeve buried her face in Melina's shoulder, shaking with sobs that didn't come from pain — just relief.

"You're here," she whispered. "You're really here."

"I'm here, baby." Melina kissed the top of her head, like she used to. "I got you now."

Maeve pulled back slightly, eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For giving up. For not being strong. For—"

Melina placed a hand on her cheek. "No more of that. No more guilt. That was his world. And we survived it for as long as we could."

Maeve nodded, tears streaming. "I missed you so much."

"I know." Melina smiled through her own tears. "I missed you every second. I watched you grow. I saw every fight, every time you got back up. You carried me longer than I ever carried you."

Maeve leaned into her again, smaller now, younger somehow.

"I saw Jason," she whispered. "He was there when I went. He tried to save me."

Melina's eyes filled. "He always did have a hero complex."

"He loves you."

"I know." Her voice cracked. "And I love him. Like he was mine."

They stood there for a long time — no clocks, no weight, no pain.

Just two souls finally allowed to rest.

Later on,

They walked hand-in-hand through the fields that stretched forever.

No scars.

No shadows.

Melina looked over at Maeve and smiled.

"We don't have to run anymore."

Maeve looked up at her.

"But... what about him?"

Melina squeezed her hand.

"He'll find his way home. When he's ready."

And they kept walking.

Together.

Into the light.