The thought of him waiting anxiously on her owl broke the final piece of her heart. He would wait forever, she knew, if he still believed there was a chance of her returning. Jo couldn't spare him the grief of separation or turn back time to prevent their relationship entirely, but she could sever their ties completely. She could break him fully so that he might one day heal.

"I'm not coming back," she told him with a shuddering breath. "You shouldn't ... you shouldn't wait on a letter from me." You should let go, was what she was hoping to get across. Jo would survive by whatever means necessary, but she would never reach out to him for help. She couldn't. To do so would mean reopening the wounds she caused and disrupting any peace he managed to find.

She shifted on her feet uncomfortably, the cold was seeping into her boots. Soon, this snow would be deep enough to cover the foot of her shoe. Merlin, Jo hoped her ship would still be able to leave port.