Chapter 3 - The Untravelled RoadThe flight to Portland was a blur of low-altitude clouds and restless, fitful sleep. When Amy landed, the crisp Pacific Northwest air carried the sharp, earthy scent of pine and saltwater. Renting a modest sedan at the airport, she drove westward along Route 20, watching the dense evergreen forests give way to the dramatic, jagged cliffs of the Oregon coast.
Newport was quiet, wrapped in a gentle morning mist that softened the edges of the historic bayfront. Fishing boats bobbed lazily against the wooden docks, and the distant bark of sea lions echoed across the harbor.
The bookstore—Beacon & Bound—was tucked between a rustic fish market and a local pottery boutique. Its sign creaked gently in the salt breeze. Sarah, her old college roommate, was waiting by the front door with a hot mug of chamomile tea and a look of fierce, protective warmth.
"You actually did it," Sarah whispered, pulling Amy into a tight, careful hug that accommodated the slight curve of her belly.
"I did," Amy murmured, burying her face in Sarah's shoulder. For the first time in months, the heavy, crushing weight in her chest loosened just a fraction.
Upstairs, the studio apartment was cozy, smelling of old paper, lavender, and cedar. A plush velvet armchair sat beside a large bay window overlooking the grey expanse of the Pacific Ocean. As Amy unpacked her single suitcase, placing the ultrasound photo carefully on the wooden nightstand, a profound sense of solitude washed over her—not the terrifying, suffocating loneliness of the Manhattan penthouse, but a quiet, empowering stillness.
She was safe. She was free. And she was going to raise her child far away from the gilded cages of New York society.
Meanwhile, back on the East Coast, the Harrison empire was beginning to fracture at the seams.
Daniel Harrison sat behind his massive mahogany desk in the executive suite of Harrison Freight Systems, his tie undone, his eyes bloodshot and hollow. The corporate reports stacked before him were entirely ignored. His phone sat on the blotter, silent.
He had spent the last thirty-six hours tearing through his contacts, calling every mutual friend, every distant relative, and every high-society acquaintance in Manhattan. No one had seen Amy. Her credit cards had been used once at JFK airport for a one-way ticket to Portland, Oregon, and then gone completely dark. She had left her primary phone in the bedside table drawer back at the penthouse, alongside her wedding ring, which Margaret had silently slid across his study desk the morning after the gala.
“You pushed her too far, Daniel,” his mother had told him coldly before walking out of his office. “You thought possession was the same thing as love. Now reap what you’ve sown.”
Daniel slammed his palm down on the desk, rattling the crystal decanter. "Damn it, Amy!" he shouted to the empty room.
He couldn't focus. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her standing by the dessert table, her eyes dark and unreadable, before she slipped away. The company was in the middle of a massive logistics acquisition in Europe, a deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars, yet for the first time in his career, Daniel found himself staring at profit projections with absolute numbness.
His phone buzzed. He snatched it up instantly, his heart leaping into his throat, hoping—praying—it was her.
It wasn't Amy. It was Vanessa.
“Daniel, where are you? The board meeting with the London partners is in an hour, and you haven’t reviewed the deck. We need to present a united front after the gala gossip.”
Daniel stared at the screen, a sudden, bitter wave of nausea rising in his stomach. For months, Vanessa had been a convenient distraction, a sleek, ambitious plaything who flattered his ego and demanded nothing of his heart. But now, looking at her message, she felt hollow, trivial, and utterly repellent.
May you like
With a cold, deliberate motion, Daniel typed his reply: “Cancel the meeting. Tell the London partners I’m stepping away from operations for two weeks.”
Before Vanessa could reply, Daniel blocked her number, tossed the phone across the room, and buried his face in his hands.
