BooksBarbecue
Back The Lighthouse Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. PART ONE
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. PART TWO
  13. 12
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 18
  18. 19
  19. 21
  20. 22
  21. 23
  22. 24
  23. 25
  24. 26
  25. 27
  26. 28
  27. 30
  28. 31
  29. 32
  30. 33
  31. 34
  32. 35
  33. 36
  34. 37
  35. 38
  36. 39
  37. 40
  38. 41
  39. 42
  40. 43
  41. PART THREE
  42. 44
  43. 45
  44. 46
  45. 47
  46. 49
  47. 50
  48. 51
  49. 52
  50. EPILOGUE

“Sweetheart, you won’t.”

Amy froze. “What?”

“I’m afraid this is where we must say our goodbyes.”

“No, Mom. No. You can’t be serious.”

“I’m sorry, Amy. I wish we had longer.”

“But this isn’t fair! This can’t be it! This is all I get to see of you?”

“It’s how it has to be. Once this is over, we need to go our separate ways. It won’t be possible for us to see each other again.”

“No . . .” Amy shook her head, the weight of this news too heavy for her heart. She collapsed to the ground, every part of her aching. “I can’t do that. I don’t want to say goodbye, not yet. You only just got here. There’s still so much I want to say.”

“Amy, please . . .” Her mother knelt down and brushed Amy’s hair back, put her hands on her cheeks, though this did nothing to distract from the knifelike agony burning inside Amy’s chest. “It’s not goodbye forever, it’s only goodbye for now.”

“No, I don’t want to leave you like this. I don’t want to go home.”

“Don’t say that, sweetheart.”

“I mean it. I don’t want you to leave me again,” she cried, choking on the words, her throat swollen in despair. “I can’t do this again.”

“You’ve been so brave through all of this, Amy. I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“Stop it. Stop talking like that. There has to be something else I can do to stay with you.”

“No, Amy, don’t—”

“But this is my choice, isn’t it? Why can’t I just decide to stay with you just a little bit longer?”

“Please, it doesn’t work like that.”

“I don’t care how it works! I have to see you one more time before I go. I have to!”

“You don’t know what you’re asking. You don’t know what that means. It’s not safe for you to say things like that, it’s not safe for you to linger.”

“I don’t care what it means! I’ve already lost you once without saying goodbye properly, and I’m not doing it again! I’m not!”

“Amy . . .”

“Please, Mom! ”

Amy’s plea echoed loudly throughout the tiny room. They stood in silence, staring at each other, the beam of the lighthouse sweeping across them, illuminating the desperation on Amy’s face, and the heartache on her mother’s.

“All right,” her mother whispered. “After you’ve been with Ryan, I’ll find a way to see you.”

“You will? You really mean it?”

She bowed her head and closed her eyes. “I will.”

Amy lunged forward and threw her arms around her. “You have to promise. Please. You have to promise me you’ll be there.”