Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 110351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110351 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Nothing’s tying you to Manchester anymore.
∞∞∞
That night, I lie in bed staring at the cracks in the ceiling of my bedroom.
It’s late, and my apartment is incredibly quiet. The muffled hum of the fridge in the kitchen is the only sound, and though I’ve tried to distract myself with other things, Laura’s words still echo in my mind.
Nothing’s tying you to Manchester anymore.
I shift under the covers, turning the thought over and over.
She’s right, isn’t she?
There’s nothing here for me. My job as a legal assistant just about covers the bills, and I hate it anyway, especially since my old boss left a few months ago. Liam’s betrayal has obliterated any semblance of stability I thought I had, and since everything had been organised and agreed for a while now, my landlord has already found a new tenant to move into this apartment. That means I’ve got to find somewhere new to live - and pronto.
But there’s nothing necessarily keeping me living here.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I reach for my phone from the bedside table and open the browser. My fingers hover over the screen for a moment, then I type.
Flights to Spain.
The results flood the screen—Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia. Not really knowing where to begin, I scroll through the impossibly cheap one-way tickets.
Madrid catches my eye first. I’ve never been, although I vaguely remember a friend from university raving about how amazing the city is.
I start to do the mental math, then stop myself. I don’t need to. The savings from my dad’s estate are still sitting untouched in my account, waiting for me to figure out what to do with them.
He’d always said it was meant to give me options. I’m not quite sure that this exact scenario was what he had in mind, but…
“What are you doing, Olivia?” I whisper to myself, staring at the screen.
My thumb hovers over the book now button.
I think of Liam, and it’s all I can picture in my mind - the way his face twisted in guilt when I walked in on him.
I think of work, of gray walls, a freezing shared office space, of shitty coffee and the way every day feels like I’m just going through the motions.
And then I think of Laura’s laughter, of her grinning at me.
“It doesn’t have to be a movie. It could be your life.”
My chest tightens with fear and exhilaration.
What if she’s right? What if this could be my life?
Without letting myself hesitate any longer, I input my bank card details and tap “book now.”
A confirmation screen appears.
I stare at it for a long moment, half expecting the world to tilt or time to stop. But everything stays the same, except now there’s a strange, unfamiliar lightness in my chest.
I’m really doing this.
I put my phone down and lie back against the pillows, my mind racing.
Spain.
A new country, a new start.
It feels reckless and terrifying - but it also feels good. And for the first time in weeks, I drift off to sleep with a faint smile on my lips.
Chapter Two
I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the rucksack by my feet. It’s smaller than I expected given that I’ve packed all of my essentials for life into it.
The thought feels strangely liberating.
“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” my mother asks as she appears in the doorway.
Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest, and her brows are pulled into a worried frown. She’s been hovering like this all week, ever since I moved my belongings back into my childhood home for safe keeping while I’m away.
“I think so,” I say, glancing at the pile of essentials.
Passport, ticket, phone charger, plug adaptor. The necessities for starting a new life, apparently.
“I still don’t understand why it has to be Spain,” my mum frowns. “Are you sure you don’t want to just take a break and stay here?”
I look at her, at the fine lines on her face and the worry etched in her eyes. “I’m sure, Mum. I need this. It’ll be good for me. Besides, I only get to be twenty-five with no real responsibilities once, right?”
Her expression softens. “Right,” she agrees, stepping forward and pulling me into a tight hug. “I just worry about you being so far away, love.”
I squeeze her tightly. “I’ll be okay. I promise. It’s quicker to fly to Spain than drive to London - I’ll let you know when I arrive.
I step back and give her a cheeky wink. “Be excited for me, mum,” I whisper. “Please.”
“Always!”
∞∞∞
The drive to the airport is quiet.
I gaze out the taxi window and watch the familiar streets blur past. It’s cold, dark, and raining - no surprise there for the miserable January weather - but as much as I’m ready to leave, a pang of nostalgia stirs in my chest.