Page 13 of Forever In Willow Creek

Now she had to decide if she was willing to stay.

Chapter 11: Crossroads

The storm rolled in overnight.

Wind howled against the shutters, and rain tapped furiously at the cottage windows like it was trying to claw its way in. Zoe sat curled on the couch in an oversized sweatshirt, the untouched mug of tea in her hands long gone cold.

She hadn’t gone to see Luke since their conversation at the garage.

He hadn’t come by either.

There was no anger between them. No slammed doors or accusations. Just space. A silence that grew heavier with each passing hour.

Her inbox blinked on the laptop screen from the table beside her. Kristen had sent the contract. Friday at noon. A promotion, a future, a return to the life she’d built with such meticulous care.

And yet, all she could think about was how empty that life had begun to feel.

This is what you worked for,she reminded herself.

The title. The respect. The money. The grind.

But Luke’s voice lingered in her mind.

“I’m not going to fight for someone who doesn’t know if she wants to stay.”

A knock at the door startled her.

Zoe crossed the room slowly, heart beating fast.

It wasn’t Luke.

It was Sarah, rain-damp and frowning.

“I figured you weren’t going to show, so I came to check on you.”

“Show where?”

“Granny Mae’s,” Sarah said, slipping inside. “They’re loading baskets for the community drive. You signed up last week.”

Zoe blinked. She had. But that was before the offer. Before everything turned gray again.

“I forgot,” she said softly.

Sarah studied her for a beat. “No, you didn’t. You’re just somewhere else right now.”

Zoe sank onto the couch. “I feel… pulled.”

Sarah sat across from her. “Then pull yourself toward the place that feels like home. Not the one that just looks good on paper.”

“I don’t know if I belong here, Sarah. I don’t know if I’menoughhere.”

“You don’t have tobeanything here,” Sarah said. “That’s the point.”

Zoe let her sister’s words settle before whispering, “I think I’m scared that choosing this life means I failed at the other one.”

Sarah reached across and took her hand. “Choosing peace is never failure. Choosing love… that’s the hardest, bravest thing you can do.”

Zoe looked down at their hands, then out the window at the rain.

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