SAD NEWS! Bode decides not to stay with Audrey! Reasons revealed below…
Bode took a deep breath, his heart pounding as he faced the crossroads of his life. The weight of his decision pressed heavily on his chest, but deep down, he knew what he had to do. Staying with Audrey was the safer choice, the expected choice—but his soul burned with a different purpose. Gabby needed him, and no matter what, he couldn’t let her face the unknown alone.
Audrey’s eyes searched his, pleading for an answer she wasn’t ready to hear. “You don’t have to go,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “We can figure this out together.”
But Bode shook his head, his jaw tightening as he fought against the pull of familiarity. He had spent so much time building a life with Audrey, but now, something greater called him away. Gabby was out there, vulnerable, and if he didn’t stand by her side, who would? He had sworn to protect her, and that promise ran deeper than any personal desire.
“I have to,” Bode said, his voice barely above a breath. “Gabby needs me.”
Audrey’s lips parted, but no words came. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, a silent battle waging within her. “And what about me? What about us?” she finally choked out.
Bode swallowed the lump in his throat. He had asked himself the same question over and over again, but the answer was always the same. This wasn’t just about love—it was about doing what was right. And as much as it shattered him to leave Audrey standing there, he knew his heart had already chosen.
“I can’t stay,” he admitted, the truth cutting through the air like a blade. “I can’t turn my back on Gabby.”
Audrey closed her eyes, nodding slowly, as if trying to absorb the inevitable. “Then go,” she whispered, stepping back. “But don’t expect me to wait.”
Bode clenched his fists, his heart aching at the finality of her words. He wanted to say something—anything—to ease the pain he had just inflicted, but there was nothing. No apology would change the fact that he had made his choice.
With one last look at Audrey, he turned and walked away, each step carrying him closer to the unknown and farther from the life he had once imagined. Gabby was waiting, and whatever dangers lay ahead, he would face them with her.
