"That I fumbled your heart
Should've let go of my past for you, damn
You did everything I asked of you
Traveled cross country if I asked you to
But I'm just bad for you
I fumbled your heart"
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Epilogue Part 1
ONE YEAR LATER
A year had passed since that fateful night when Solea's world shattered with a gunshot to her stomach. The recovery had been long, agonizing both physically and mentally, but now, as she sat on the terrace of her home in the Dominican Republic, she felt the weight of that journey still lingering. The phone pressed to her ear carried familiar voices, the ones she hadn't physically seen in months.
"Girl, I miss you so much" Halle's voice crackled through the speaker. "It's like, you're here in the DR, but I barely see you! I moved here thinking we'd be inseparable, and now I'm stuck with Julio driving me crazy in our two-story love nest."
Solea managed a soft laugh, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I know, Hal, I miss you too. It's just... everything's been so much lately. After the hospital, then all the physical therapy... I've been all over the place."
"Yeah" Novah's voice chimed in. "We stayed those extra two months to be with you for a reason, Solea. We saw what you went through, and we get that it's been hard, but don't shut everyone out. We're here for you."
"I know" she whispered, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the edge of the chair. "It's just been a lot to process. After everything happened, I thought I'd be back to normal by now, but it feels like I'm still stuck."
Halle's voice softened. "You're healing, Solea. You were in a coma. You got shot. That's not something you just snap back from."
"I know... I just thought I'd be stronger by now. Physically, mentally... I had to push back the launch of the line with Teyanna, and it crushed me." She sighed, her frustration palpable. "I haven't been dressing up like I used to, haven't felt like myself. And... Sante'..." She paused, her chest tightening.
"What about Sante'?" Novah asked gently.
Solea swallowed hard, feeling the familiar sting of unshed tears. "He's been amazing, he really has. But... I can't let him touch me. I don't want him to. I feel like a shell of myself, like I'm broken. I've been keeping him at arm's length, and I know he's starting to feel it. I can see it in his eyes. It's been a year, and he's been patient, but I'm scared I'm pushing him away too much."
The line went quiet for a moment before Halle spoke again. "You're not broken, Solea. You're healing. But you do need to let him in, or at least let him know what's going on inside your head. He loves you, girl. That man worships the ground you walk on."
Solea blinked away her tears, her voice barely a whisper. "I know. That's why I hate this. I hate pushing him away, but it's like... the voices in my head keep telling me I'm not enough anymore. That he's not attracted to me the way he used to be. I look at my body and all I see is what I lost, the strength, the confidence... and I wonder if he sees it too. Maybe he doesn't want me the way he used to, maybe he's just waiting for me to fix myself."
