The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 288

Petty sat on her knees atop a big rock by the sea, letting the last handful of ashes slip through her fingers and scatter into the waves.

“Dad, Mom… no one will ever use you to threaten me again.”

There was nothing left Franco could use against her now. The emptiness felt strange, but also freeing.

She stayed on that rock for a long while. The ashes faded into the water until the ocean looked just the same as it always had. It didn’t matter, though. As long as she remembered, her parents would never be gone. In her memories, in her heart, they stayed close.

That was something nobody could ever take from her.

The sun was warm and bright, and since it was the weekend, the beach was crowded. People wandered along the sand, kids laughed and played games, and a few couples snapped photos with the sea behind them.

Petty watched it all, feeling strangely distant. Her mind flashed back to the last time she was here—it was just before Christmas, when Malcom brought her to release sky lanterns. Funny how that was less than two weeks ago. It felt like a whole different life now.

A buzz came from her purse. She pulled out her phone. And as if she’d conjured him with her thoughts, there was a message from Malcom.

You’re at the beach?

That was uncanny.

She hesitated, gripping her phone as she glanced around, half expecting to spot his face in the crowd. But nobody looked familiar until the blare of a car horn sounded across the street. Petty stood, squinting through the sun. A black Mercedes had pulled up at the curb.

She shielded her eyes. The window rolled down and she saw him behind the wheel, dressed all in black, wearing a black cap and a black mask. It could only be Malcom.

He got out of the car and tugged his cap a bit lower, striding toward her with those long steps she recognized.

Even from far away, she saw his gaze settle on her red, tired eyes. She hurried over, surprised at how happy she suddenly felt.

“Malcom, what are you doing here?” she called out, hardly able to believe it.

He pulled out his phone, fingers slipping from his black gloves just enough to type.

Just handling something nearby and thought I saw you.

“What are the odds? Weren’t you supposed to be out of town? When did you get back?” She couldn’t help noticing the rumpled collar of his shirt.

Malcom never looked anything less than perfectly put together. Tidy, calm, always a little distant. What had thrown him off today?

“I was just lost in thought, that’s all.”

They walked a while longer. Petty pointed at a big rock up the beach.

“That spot over there—that’s where we let go of the sky lanterns last time. Do you remember?”

Malcom followed her line of sight, then looked back at her. The sea breeze played with her hair, blowing a few strands across her pink-rimmed eyes. His hand, hanging at his side, flexed for a moment. When she glanced over, he just nodded, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He reached for his phone again.

Why are you here by yourself?

Petty watched the words appear on his screen. Her eyes lingered there for a moment, then she let out a half-laugh, half-sigh.

“I’m just sorting some things out before I leave Cabinda.”

The paperwork for leaving her job would take a little more time. The divorce papers were almost ready to go. All that was left was to take an hour off work tomorrow to deliver everything to the courthouse.