Lina's publisher scheduled a book tour.
Three weeks, twelve cities, thousands of fans. It was her biggest tour yet, celebrating the novel she'd written after reuniting with Kai—the happy one, the one full of hope.
"I don't want to leave you for that long," she told Kai, staring at the itinerary.
"It's three weeks. We've survived longer."
"I know. But that was before. Before we were married. Before I got used to waking up next to you every day."
Kai pulled her close. "I'll miss you too. Every single day. But this is your dream, Lina. Your career. I'd never stand in the way of that."
"You're not standing in the way. You're supporting me."
"Same thing, different words." He smiled. "Go. Slay. Come home to me."
She kissed him. "I will. Always."
The tour was exhausting and exhilarating.
Lina signed books until her hand cramped. She gave interviews, did readings, met fans whose lives had been touched by her stories. Every night, she collapsed into hotel beds and called Kai.
"How was your day?" he always asked.
"Long. Tiring. Amazing." She'd describe the crowds, the questions, the moments that moved her. He listened like every detail mattered.
"I'm so proud of you," he'd say. "You're living your dream."
"Our dream," she corrected. "Everything I do, I do for us too."
In Chicago, a fan asked a surprising question.
"Your books always had sad endings before," the young woman said. "But this one is happy. What changed?"
Lina smiled. "I found someone. Someone I thought I'd lost forever. And he taught me that happy endings aren't just for stories—they're for real life too."
The audience sighed collectively.
Afterward, her manager grinned. "That's going viral. You know that, right?"
"Let it." Lina shrugged. "It's the truth."
Kai saw the clip online.
He called her immediately, voice thick. "You said that about me. On camera. In front of all those people."
"Because it's true."
"I love you. So much."
"I love you too. Three more cities. Then I'm coming home."
"I'll be counting every second."