I love the ending of Tessa's story. To me, Tessa has always placed so much of herself and her worth in other people, starting with Caden because she felt like she was worthless since her parents left her. After him, she did it in her friends, wanting them to think she was worthy of their friendship because she herself didn't think she was enough. If her parents left, how could she be worth anything? She called Finn an angel because he thought she had value, because he recognized her worth which she never did.

So for her to end knowing that she was held her own value, no one else, it was important. However, I have to admit, this wasn't always the ending she was going to have. At first, I had this idea that they were actually going to get together, which I changed as I continued to write and realized that because of their trauma and their lack of knowledge with healthy relationships (which I stated in the book many times), they would never work out. But they were going to be together, Flash was going to panic and cheat on her, and it was going to be another Caden in her life.

Luckily, I think I realized that Flash would never do that and even more than that, I didn't want him to be another Caden. I didn't want Tessa to have another Caden in her life, I wanted her to have someone to hold her and to teach her how to let go and move on. Tessa needed to focus on herself instead of relationships, so I think the ending is beautiful. It's cheesy, yes, that the main character realized that everything she ever needed was in herself and she became her own knight in shining armor. But it's what felt right.

Tessa realized that she didn't need someone else to save her, they never could, but she could make the change. She could pull herself out of the grave, so she worked to do that. This book was always about Tessa, not necessarily the romance between her and Flash. I used the love interest as a tool for her, not as the main focus because he's not the main focus in her life. Especially not after she began to prioritize herself.

This was the best ending she could have.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck around and read Tessa's story. To everyone who has loved her as much as I do and realized that she deserved the world even if she could never have it. I love Tessa and it's hard to let her go, but it's for the best. She's reached her ending. At least, she has for now.

Tessa will continue to appear in other books in the age of heroes universe, so this isn't the exact last time that you'll ever see her if you read those books.

With love,
Ellie