Chapter 2

The next morning, Sarah walked into the community center library, her resignation letter in her hand. She' d worked there for five years, building a small haven of books and quiet learning.

Her desk, her familiar corner, was different. A bright pink water bottle sat next to her computer. A stack of fashion magazines replaced her carefully curated pile of literary journals.

Tiffany Evans looked up from Sarah' s chair, a surprised, then overly sweet, smile spreading across her face. "Oh, Sarah! Hi! Mark said you wouldn't mind. He helped me move some of my things in last night."

Sarah felt a cold stillness settle over her. "My things?"

"Well, yeah," Tiffany said, gesturing vaguely. "For my volunteer work. I' m hoping it turns into a paid position soon."

Mark appeared in the doorway then, a toolbox in his hand, presumably from an earlier 'emergency' at Tiffany's. "Oh, hey, Sarah. Just helping Tiffany get set up." He saw her looking at the desk. "You weren't using it much lately anyway, with your dad and all."

His words, meant to be practical, landed like stones. "I'm resigning, Mark," Sarah said, holding out the letter.

Mark looked surprised. "Resigning? Why? Is this about Tiffany using the desk? We can sort that out."

"No, Mark," Sarah said. "It's not about the desk." It was about everything. About a father's wish, a quiet resilience finally finding its voice, and a legacy waiting for her in Maine. The library there, her father had said, was more than just books; it was the heart of their small town, and it was failing. He' d believed she could save it.

She placed the letter on the corner of what used to be her desk, now Tiffany' s. The sight of Tiffany' s belongings, so casually placed, so quickly accepted, was a stark symbol of her own displacement in Mark' s life.

She thought of the small, worn antique bookmark her father had given her, tucked safely in her purse. It felt like a promise.

"I'm moving back to Maine," Sarah said, her voice even.

Tiffany' s eyes widened slightly. Mark just looked confused. "Maine? But why now?"

Sarah didn't answer. There was nothing left to say to him that he would understand.