He shook his head, his anger softening as he looked at me. "Forget it. I can get another one. You, though... you should get out of whatever mess that guy’s pulled you into. No one deserves to be treated like that."

I smiled faintly, though the bitterness in my heart threatened to overwhelm me. "I know," I whispered. "And I will."

As I turned to leave, the weight of my decision settled in. It was time to rebuild my life, time to find the person I had lost in the years with Mark. It was time to chase my own dreams again.