FIVE MONTHS left.

Five months left, and yet, it felt as though time itself had stopped. Harper had been so consumed by the precious moments she shared with Elijah that she had stopped counting the days, and stopped tracking the inevitable ticking of the clock. She had spent every waking moment with him, cherishing their time together as if it were her last breath because deep down, she knew it very well might be.

She hadn't looked at her phone in months. The device, which once held the threads of connection to the world she had left behind, now sat untouched. The guilt of what she had left behind, the overwhelming ache in her chest every time she thought of her parents, kept her from seeking out messages, even though a small part of her longed to hear from them.

She had known how heartbroken they must have been after she ran away. They had sent her letters, phone calls, and pleading messages she refused to open. She couldn't bear it. She couldn't face them. Not when she was doing this—living the life she had chosen with Elijah, with only five months to grasp.

But today was different. She couldn't say why. Something inside her broke, and she picked up her phone, the screen lighting up under her trembling fingers. She hesitated for a long moment, just staring at the words that appeared, so simple, yet so devastatingly full of meaning:

We love you, Harper.

The words hit her like a sledgehammer, and without warning, the dam inside her heart broke open. She sank to the floor, her legs giving out as the reality of everything she had done—the abandonment, the running, the refusal to face the people who had loved her unconditionally—finally shattered her. She collapsed in a heap, tears pouring down her face in uncontrollable streams, her sobs echoing through the Mikaelson mansion.

Elijah, ever watchful, had been nearby. The sound of her sobs reached his ears, and his heart immediately lurched with worry. Without a second thought, he rushed to her side, lowering himself down beside her, and pulling her into his arms with a quiet urgency. She buried her face in his chest, her cries muffled against him, but the weight of her grief hung heavily in the air.

"Harper, love, what happened?" Elijah asked softly, his voice laced with concern. He hated seeing her in this pain, but he was terrified to ask, unsure whether the pain was physical or something deeper. Something emotional. Had she been hurt? Was there a wound he couldn't see?

But as his gaze fell to the glowing phone screen, Elijah's heart sank. The words, the simple message from her parents, were enough to give him the answer. Harper had seen it. She had read it. And now, she was torn apart.

Harper's chest hitched as she pulled away from him, her body trembling in his arms. "How could I do this to them, Elijah?" she whispered between sobs. "I abandoned them. They just wanted to love me. They didn't deserve this. They didn't deserve to be left without any explanation."

Elijah's heart broke for her. He knew this day was coming. He had known from the moment she had opened up to him about her past that there would be a breaking point, a moment when she could no longer escape the overwhelming guilt and regret of her actions. As much as she had tried to move on, as much as she had tried to live in the moment with him, there was a piece of her that would always long for the family she had left behind.

He didn't need to ask if it hurt; he could see the answer in her eyes. But he could also see how much she longed to go back, to make things right, even though she felt like she couldn't. Not after everything she had done.

"Do you want to see them?" Elijah asked quietly, his voice steady, even though his heart was breaking alongside hers. Harper's eyes fluttered shut, and tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She was fighting with herself, torn between wanting to return to her parents and the impossibility of what that would mean.

"Yes," Harper whispered. "I want to see them. But... I have a favour to ask of you."

Elijah looked down at her, kissing the top of her head with tenderness. "Anything, love. You know that."

She closed her eyes, her breath shaky as she spoke again. "I want to see them for a week. I want to make some final memories with them. And then... Elijah, I need you to make them forget me."

Elijah froze, his heart skipping a beat. He didn't understand. "Forget you?" he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper.

She nodded, still unable to look at him. "I can't let them live with the pain of me leaving. I can't let them remember me when I'm gone. They deserve better than that. They don't deserve to know what's coming. I want to give them the gift of forgetting. I want to erase myself from their lives so they can go on, and live their lives without the pain of losing me."

The cruelty of her words hit Elijah like a physical blow. How could she even consider this? How could she think that erasing herself from her parents' memories was an act of love? It felt like the cruellest thing she could possibly do. But he understood the pain she was in. He understood the self-sacrifice she felt she had to make, even though every part of him screamed in protest. This wasn't fair to her. To them. But it was her decision to make.

His hand gently cupped her cheek, urging her to meet his gaze. "Harper... I know you think this is what they deserve, but do you really think this is the answer? To erase every memory of you from them? To take away everything they've ever had with you?"

Her eyes searched his, full of sorrow and desperation. "I don't know if it's the right choice, Elijah. But it feels like the only choice I have left. I can't ask them to live with the burden of knowing that I'm going to leave them. I can't make them suffer like that."

Elijah kissed her forehead softly, his heart torn in two. "I understand your pain, love. But I don't think this is the answer. I don't think you should rob them of their memories of you. Your parents love you. And you love them. That's not something that can be taken away."

He could see the conflict in her eyes, the fear of what was coming, the fear of leaving them behind. He could see the anguish that made her think this was the only way out. But he also knew that there had to be another way. He would help her find it, no matter what it took. He wasn't going to let her destroy the beautiful bond she had with her parents just because she was afraid of what was to come.

But as the silence stretched between them, both of them lost in their thoughts, the question still lingered in the air.

Was it the right choice? Was Harper really going to erase everything, including the love and memories she had with the two people who had given her a home, just to spare them the pain of losing her?

Her heart was torn. She didn't want to make this decision. But she wasn't sure what else she could do.