Unable to bear the look on his face, she turned and fled. Blindly, she ran through the castle, through the town. All she wanted was some way to forget, someone to make the choice for her. The burden was too much. Breathless and aching in body as well as mind, she collapsed in a miserable heap by the river.
He let out a pained, near pitiful noise, before leaning against the nearest wall, sliding down to the ground with his head buried in his hands. He felt lost and hurt for the first time since before he’d met the Hales, and he genuinely didn’t know what to do. Could he leave all of this behind him?
The two of them fought their demons separately for hours, each trying to find some solution that didn’t require anyone to give up anything. The problem was, there wasn’t such a solution.
At last, with night falling, Summer forced herself to get up. She wasn’t sure she could bear to give Isaac her decision — she was certain he would try to change her mind. But neither could she bear to simply depart silently, with no word to him. Weary and heartbroken, she sought him out in their — his — home.