Chapter 60 MOVING FORWARD
Elias
The detective traced the threatening email to a library computer. Public access. No way to identify who sent it.
“Could be anyone,” she said. “A supporter of Carter or Ashley. A troll. Someone who read your article and got ideas.”
“So we just ignore it?” Elias asked.
“We monitor. But honestly? After everything that’s happened, most threats like this are empty. People who want to scare you but won’t actually do anything.”
“And if they do?”
“Then we respond. But I don’t think they will. Ashley’s in jail. Carter’s in treatment. Their whole network knows we’re watching. My guess? This is someone trying to get a reaction.”
After she left, Alex sat on the couch. His laptop is open. Staring at nothing.
“We should delete it,” he said. “The article. The posts. All of it.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s causing more problems than it solves. Ashley tried to kill herself. Now someone else is threatening us. Maybe going public was a mistake.”
“It wasn’t. We got Ashley arrested. We told our truth.”
“And now everyone has opinions about it. Half the internet thinks we’re victims. The other half thinks we’re villains who drove two people to suicide.”
“We didn’t drive anyone anywhere. They made their own choices.”
“Did they? Or did we push them past their breaking point?”
Elias sat next to him. “Alex. Look at me.”
Alex did. His eyes were red. Tired.
“We are not responsible for Carter’s mental health. Or Ashley’s. We told the truth about what they did to us. If they couldn’t handle the consequences, that’s not our fault.”
“Then why do I feel so guilty?”
“Because you’re a good person. But guilt doesn’t mean you did something wrong.”
They left the article up. But stopped reading comments. Stopped checking social media. Just focused on living.
Work. School. Each other.
October turned to November. The weather got colder. The campus emptied for Thanksgiving break.
Elias and Alex drove to Katie’s for the holiday. His parents came too. First time seeing them since graduation.
“How are you both doing?” his mother asked over turkey. “Really?”
“Better,” Elias said. “It’s been quiet for a few weeks.”
“No more threats?”
“Nothing credible. Just random internet stuff.”
“And you’re being careful?”
“Very.”
His father cleared his throat. “I read the article. What you both went through. I’m sorry we weren’t more involved.”
“It’s okay. We handled it.”
“You shouldn’t have had to. That’s what family is for.”
After dinner, Katie pulled Elias aside. “Carter got out of treatment.”
Elias’s stomach dropped. “When?”
“Yesterday. Against medical advice. Just checked himself out.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know. His parents won’t say. But I thought you should know.”
Elias told Alex in the car on the way home.
“Should we be worried?” Alex asked.
“I don’t think so. His therapist said he’s doing better. That he understands boundaries now.”
“And you believe that?”
“I want to.”
They got home late. The apartment was dark. Cold. Elias turned on the heat. Made tea. Tried to pretend everything was fine.
But at midnight, there was a knock on the door.
Elias looked through the peephole. His heart stopped.
Carter.
Standing in the hallway. Alone. Looking nervous.
“Don’t open it,” Alex said.
“I have to. If I don’t, he’ll just keep trying.”
“Then I’m calling the police.”
“Wait. Let me see what he wants first.”
Elias opened the door. Left the chain on.
“What are you doing here?” Elias asked.
Carter looked thin. Pale. Nothing like the person who’d terrorized them for months.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m not supposed to be here. But I needed to say something. In person.”
“You can say it from there.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. For everything. For the harassment. For Ashley. For the hospital. All of it. I was sick. Really sick. And I took it out on you.”
“We know. Your therapist told us.”
“She did?”
“Yeah. And I’m glad you’re getting help. But Carter, you can’t be here. There’s a restraining order.”
“I know. I’ll leave. I just needed you to hear me say it. That I’m sorry. That I know it was my fault. Not yours.”
Elias’s hands tightened on the door. “Okay. I heard you. Now go.”
“One more thing. Ashley’s not getting out. Her lawyer said she’s looking at three years minimum. Maybe more.”
“Good.”
“And I’m leaving. Moving to Seattle. Starting over. You won’t see me again.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Are you happy? With him? With Alex?”
Elias looked back at Alex standing in the living room. Phone in hand. Ready to call the police if needed.
“Yes. I’m really happy.”
“Good. That’s good. You deserve that.”
Carter turned to leave. Then stopped. “For what it’s worth, I read your article. Every word. And you were right. About everything. I was obsessed. Controlling. Toxic. You were smart to leave.”
“I know.”
“Take care of yourself, Elias. And take care of him. He seems like a good person.”
“He is.”
Carter walked away. Down the hall. Into the elevator. Gone.
Elias closed the door. Locked it. Leaned against it.
“That was surreal,” he said.
“Do you believe him?” Alex asked. “That he’s really leaving?”
“I think so. He looked different. Sounded different. Less angry. More resigned.”
“What if it’s an act?”
“Then we deal with it. But I don’t think it is. I think he’s really done this time.”
They went to bed cautiously. Still on edge. Still waiting for something to go wrong.
But morning came quietly. No messages. No threats. No Carter.
Just sunlight through the windows and coffee brewing and Alex’s warm body next to him.
“It’s really over, isn’t it?” Alex said.
“I think so. Finally.”
“What do we do now?”
“We live. We plan. We move forward.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Alex rolled over. Faced him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“And we survived.”
“We did. Together.”
They spent December catching up. At work. At school. On each other. No more drama. No more fear. Just normal life.
Alex finished his grad school applications. Applied to three programs. All local. All are close to Elias.
“What if you get in somewhere better?” Elias asked. “Somewhere far away?”
“I won’t go. I already decided.”
“You can’t make that decision based on me.”
“I’m not. I’m making it based on us. On the life we’re building.”
Christmas came. They spent it at Elias’s parents’ house. His mother cooked too much food. His father told bad jokes. Katie gave them matching ugly sweaters.
It felt normal. Family. Safe.
New Year’s Eve, they stayed home. Watched the ball drop on TV. Kissed at midnight like every other couple in the world.
“New year,” Alex said. “New start.”
“No more exes?”
“No more drama.”
“Just us?”
“Just us.”
January brought Alex’s graduation decisions. He got into two programs. Both local. Both good.
He chose the one closest to home. To Elias. To their life.
“You sure about this?” Elias asked.
“Completely. This is where I want to be.”
“With me?”
“Always with you.”
But in February, exactly one year after their first letter, something arrived in the mail.
A package. No return address. Just Alex’s name.
Inside was a book. Poetry. With a note tucked inside.
For what it’s worth, you both deserve happiness. I’m sorry I tried to take that away. Good luck with everything. - C
The final word from Carter.
The real ending.
Alex held the book. “Do you think he means it?”
“Yeah. I think he does.”
“Should we keep it?”
“That’s up to you.”
Alex set it on the shelf. Next to the journal Carter had sent before. Reminders of everything they’d survived.
“It’s over,” Alex said. “Really, truly over.”
“It is.”
“Now what?”
Elias pulled him close. “Now we start planning our future. Together.”
And for the first time in a year, that future felt possible.
Bright. Open. Theirs.