Zoe whispered:

“Yeah… I do. But thank you… for everything. And don’t worry—I promise I won’t stop talking to you.”

The two embraced one last time. Zoe gave Otto a restrained nod, grabbed her phone, called an Uber, and walked away without looking back.

In the back seat, she couldn’t hold the tears anymore. They fell silently and heavily, carrying the weight of every truth she had pretended not to see.

The driver, an older man with graying hair and a gentle gaze, watched her discreetly through th