Chapter One — The Long Road Home
.Chapter One — The Long Road HomeThe desert highway shimmered under the last light of day, a ribbon of heat and memory stretching toward nowhere. Jake Harrison gripped the steering wheel of his old Camaro, the radio humming with static until a familiar melody broke through — “I can’t fight this feeling anymore…”He almost laughed. The song had chased him for years, through every diner jukebox and late‑night drive. It was Lena’s song — the one she used to sing when the world still felt young and the future hadn’t yet burned out.The neon signs of Yuma flickered in the distance, half‑alive, half‑forgotten. Jake slowed down, watching the horizon melt into violet and gold. He told himself he was just passing through, but the truth pressed heavier than the desert air: he was coming back to the place he’d sworn he’d never see again.At the edge of town, the wind carried the faint scent of rain and gasoline. He parked outside The Silver Note, the bar where Lena once sang every Friday night. The sign buzzed weakly, letters missing, but the music inside was alive — a woman’s voice, raw and aching, cutting through the noise.Jake stepped out, heart pounding like the drums of the song that refused to die. He didn’t know if she’d remember him. He didn’t even know if he wanted her to. But as the door swung open and the light spilled across his face, he realized something simple and terrifying.He wasn’t here to forget.
