Page 73 of River
“We were happy for the first four years, but then I started feeling underappreciated. Pierre would reap all the glory and never mention how I’d helped him. His focus shifted to the next prestigious award rather than the preservation work we were doing, and the bigger his ego got, the less room there was for my dreams and goals. I was twenty-six when I finally admitted to myself that I was being used by him. That’s why I decided to get a fresh start.”
“You traveled for a while, didn’t you?”
“Yes, for almost two years. I went to so many places and met amazing people and animals.”
“Why did you end up settling down in Ireland?”
“Oh, it was sort of a coincidence. I came to teach and fell in love with the energy here. At that time, I was tired of traveling, so I decided to create this sanctuary.”
“And? Are you happy here?”
“Are you asking if I miss my beloved lions and tigers?” She smiled.
“Yes. Training dogs and caring for horses and cows isn’t the same, is it?”
“I don’t see it like that. I love all animals, and the ones that are here are my friends.” Fleur pushed off from the doorframe. “Anyway, enough about me. I’ll let you unpack. Dinner is ready in twenty minutes. I hope you like spinach lasagna.”
“Thank you.”
When Fleur closed my door, I looked down at the video from Bali and sighed before shutting the computer down. Fleur had made a clean break from her ex, and I could learn from that. Watching River’s videos only made me miss her more. Coming to Ireland was a fresh start, and now was my chance to put my love for River to rest.
In that moment, I made a solemn commitment to never dwell on my time with her again. Never to watch any of her videos. I would finally move on.
