"Please don't go," he said, grabbing her arms.
"It's for the best. Too much has happened and we both need a break. I've been putting off resigning my job and terminating my lease on my apartment. It's time to finalize that chapter of my life." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm coming back. Honest."
Tears filled his eyes, which made her cry. She hated leaving him like this, but what other choice was available? "I'm sorry, Caitlin," he said in a broken whisper.
Caitlin gulped, forcing herself not to cry. Uncertainty about the future surrounded her, but doubt stayed far away. This was the right decision. So, why did misery quickly join her?
Garrett loaded the trunk, by special request. "Are you sure you have to do this now?"
"No time like the present." She opened the car door.
"Here," Garrett said, handing her a box.
Caitlin opened it and saw her horse bracelet. "Where did you find this?"
"It was lying outside your house in the mud. I found it this morning, but I never got a chance to give it to you."
"Thank you." She kissed his cheek and then settled into the seat, but did not start the car. She waited for her granddaddy to offer words of wisdom. The night air remained calm and silent. A few minutes later, she drove out the drive, never looking back, tears streaming down her face.
Leaving Garrett was the most difficult choice she had ever made, but she did it on her own. "On my own. Three words I never thought I would utter. Why is my life falling apart?" Though she had promised to return, she truly did not have that answer yet.
Caitlin shook her head as she pulled into her parking space. She stared at the apartment building. This was not home. It never had been, because her heart had never been here. Her heart belonged to Valley View, Double C Ranch, and Garrett Winston. "Now I have none of it. Though Garrett cried, I saw relief in his eyes when I left. He's not ready for a relationship and I honestly don't understand why."
As she trudged up the stairs to her third floor apartment, lugging the trunk, she offered herself a pep talk. "Make the best of it, Caitlin. You have friends, nice neighbors, and a decent job. That's more than some people." Caitlin smirked. "I wanted the gold at the end of the rainbow. Granddaddy's ranch turned into a camp for kids and Garrett Winston in my life for eternity. Amazing how dreams can be shattered in one day."