1.55 CAROLINE

Both of their signatures sit at the bottom of that fucking letter.

I take in a deep breath and look up at them. They both sit in front of me, with only their thick mahogany desk in between us.

I look at them, really look at them. And for the first time, I notice the dark circles under their eyes. The frown lines formed on their handsome faces. They are worried, so damn worried.

Worried I would leave.

Worried I wouldn't.

I take another deep breath before speaking. "You're letting me go?"

They, too, take a deep breath before responding. "We love you, and I know that we typically wouldn't have let you go. But we can't let you lose yourself, not because of us. Maybe one day you'll come back to us, who knows?"

Antonio was trying to be nonchalant. But I could see it. I could really see it. The love they hold for me. The fear in their eyes. The stress, the pain it would cause them if I were to leave them.

"And what if," I begin, glancing down at the papers in front of me. "What