The final morning arrived with a cruel sense of normalcy. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the city of Lisbon was waking up, completely indifferent to the heartbreak unfolding in the hotel suite.
Camila's suitcase was packed and standing by the door, a stark reminder of the ticking clock. They moved around each other in a heavy silence, the ease of the past two days replaced by a somber tension.
"This is harder than the first time," Lívia said, her back to Camila as she stared out the window.
"Because we know what we're losing now," Camila replied, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist. "Or what we could lose."
Lívia turned in her arms, her eyes glistening. "I don't want to lose you."
"Then we won't," Camila said, with a certainty she didn't entirely feel. "We have a plan now. A dream. That's more than we had before."
But the dream felt distant, abstract. The reality was the taxi waiting downstairs, the airport, the flight back to a life that felt incomplete without Lívia in it.
The ride to the airport was excruciating. They held hands, their fingers intertwined so tightly it almost hurt, but they didn't speak. There was nothing left to say.
At security, they faced the inevitable barrier. This was where their paths diverged.
"Call me when you land," Lívia said, her voice thick with unshed tears.
"I will," Camila promised. She pulled Lívia into a fierce hug, burying her face in her hair, memorizing her scent one last time. "I love you."
"I love you too," Lívia whispered, her voice cracking.
Camila forced herself to let go, to turn and walk through the security checkpoint. She didn't look back. She couldn't. If she saw Lívia's face, she wouldn't be able to leave.
As she disappeared into the crowd, Lívia finally let the tears fall. She stood there, watching the spot where Camila had vanished, until an airport employee gently asked her to move. She was alone again, but this time, the emptiness felt different. It wasn't a void; it was a space waiting to be filled.