What the Sea Left Behind: A Story of Lost Love, Forgiveness, and Coming Home E-Book

Ranjot Singh Chahal

• Herausgeber: Rana Books
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Some memories never let go. Some loves never truly leave.
In the quiet coastal town of Haven’s Point, Lila Harper has spent seven years rebuilding her life—page by page, book by book—after Evan Caldwell, the man she loved, vanished without a word. Her bookstore, The Last Page, stands as both sanctuary and symbol of everything she’s overcome.
But when a salt-stained letter arrives and Evan returns, no longer the boy with a guitar but a man burdened by regrets and a dying father, old wounds begin to ache. As the waves crash and whispers of the past rise with the tide, Lila must decide if she can trust the man who broke her heart—or if love, like the sea, leaves behind more than it takes.
Told with lyrical warmth and emotional honesty, What the Sea Left Behind is a moving debut about forgiveness, resilience, and the quiet power of second chances.

Leseprobe

Ranjot Singh Chahal

What the Sea Left Behind

A Story of Lost Love, Forgiveness, and Coming Home

First published by Rana Books 2025

Copyright © 2025 by Ranjot Singh Chahal

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

First edition

Contents

Chapter One: The Salt-Stained Letter

Chapter Two: Ghosts of Unsent Letters

Chapter Three: The Festival Fire

Chapter Four: Tides of Trust

Chapter Five: Shadows from Nashville

Chapter Six: Saving the Page

Chapter Seven: The Storm’s Kiss

Chapter Eight: Bridges and Bonds

Chapter Nine: The Choice

Chapter Ten: Carving Forever

Chapter One: The Salt-Stained Letter

chapter-seperator

The sea was a restless beast tonight, its waves clawing at the cliffs below Haven’s Point, Maine. Lila Harper stood on her porch, clutching a mug of chamomile tea long gone cold. The air carried the sharp tang of salt and pine, a scent woven into her bones after twenty-nine years in this small coastal town. She’d been born here, raised here, and—despite a younger self’s dreams of escape—stayed here. The lighthouse on the horizon stood like a sentinel, its beam slicing through the dusk, a mirror to her own existence: steady, solitary, a little worn.

Her bookstore, The Last Page, sat at the end of Main Street, its windows glowing amber against the October chill. It was her sanctuary, built from the ashes of a broken heart. But tonight, it felt like a cage. On her kitchen counter lay a letter, its edges curling as if trying to flee. She hadn’t opened it. She didn’t need to. The handwriting—slanted, deliberate, like a song half-sung—was enough to unravel her.

Evan.

Lila set the mug down, her fingers trembling as she ran them through her auburn hair, loose waves tangled by the wind. Seven years ago, Evan Caldwell had been her world. At twenty-two, they’d been reckless, in love, stealing kisses on this very porch. He’d promised her forever under a summer sky, his guitar calluses rough against her skin, his laugh soft in her ear. Then he’d vanished to Nashville, chasing a music career, leaving her with nothing but a half-written song and a heart in pieces. She’d rebuilt herself, book by book, customer by customer. The Last Page was her proof she didn’t need him. But that letter, delivered by a courier who’d seemed as puzzled as she was, threatened to undo it all.

“Lila!” A voice cut through the wind. Maggie Sullivan, her best friend and the town’s resident baker, jogged up the path, her blonde braid bouncing. At thirty, Maggie had the energy of a teenager and the nosiness of a small-town gossip. “You’re gonna freeze out here. It’s October, not July.”

Lila forced a smile, tucking her hands into her sweater. “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

Maggie raised an eyebrow, her green eyes glinting. “Thinking about that letter you’ve been avoiding all day?”

Lila groaned. “You’re worse than a seagull with a french fry.”

“Guilty.” Maggie plopped onto the porch swing, patting the seat beside her. “Come on, spill. Who’s it from? Ex-lover? Secret admirer? Tax collector?”

Lila hesitated, then sat, the swing creaking under their weight. The sea roared below, a reminder of how small she felt. “It’s from Evan.”

Maggie’s jaw dropped. “Evan Caldwell? As in, ‘ran off to Nashville and broke your heart’ Evan?”

“The very one.”

“What does he want?” Maggie leaned forward, flour still dusting her hands from the bakery.

“I don’t know.” Lila’s voice was tight, her gaze fixed on the lighthouse. “I haven’t opened it.”

Maggie’s stare was relentless. “Lila Harper, you’ve been eyeing that thing like it’s a bomb. Open it, or I’ll do it for you.”

Lila’s stomach twisted. She didn’t want to face whatever Evan had to say—apologies, excuses, or worse, nothing that mattered. But Maggie wouldn’t let it go. With a sigh, Lila stood, grabbed the letter from the counter, and tore it open before she could overthink it. The paper was heavy, the kind musicians used for lyrics, and his handwriting hadn’t changed—still that slanted scrawl, like he was always in a hurry. She read aloud, her voice unsteady:

Lila,

I know I don’t deserve a response. I don’t even deserve to write this. But I’m coming back to Haven’s Point. My dad’s sick, and I’m here for him. I don’t expect you to see me, but I need you to know I’m sorry. For everything. If you’re willing, I’d like to talk. I’ll be at the lighthouse tomorrow night, 7 p. m. No pressure.

Evan

Lila’s hands shook as she folded the letter. Maggie was silent, a rare occurrence that made the moment heavier.

“He’s coming back,” Lila said, more to herself than Maggie. “After seven years, he just… shows up?”

Maggie’s voice softened. “What are you gonna do?”

Lila stared at the sea, its waves glinting under the moon. “I don’t know.”

By noon the next day, Haven’s Point was alive with gossip. Evan Caldwell, the town’s prodigal son, was back. Lila heard it from Mrs. Delaney, who bought a stack of cozy mysteries and whispered that Evan had been spotted at the docks, unloading his dad’s fishing boat. She heard it from Mr. Thompson, who lingered over his coffee at the bookstore’s tiny café corner, muttering about “that Caldwell boy” stirring trouble. By the time Lila flipped the shop’s sign to Closed at six, her nerves were frayed.

She didn’t have to go to the lighthouse. She owed Evan nothing. But as she locked The Last Page, her feet carried her toward the cliffs, her scarf tight against the chill. The lighthouse stood at the town’s edge, its beam cutting through the fog like a blade. She hadn’t been there in years—not since she and Evan used to sneak up its spiral stairs, laughing, stealing kisses in the shadows, their initials carved into the weathered wood.

He was there, leaning against the lighthouse’s base, his silhouette achingly familiar. Taller now, broader in the shoulders, but still Evan—dark hair falling into his hazel eyes, a leather jacket worn at the elbows. He was strumming a guitar, the notes soft and mournful, stopping when he saw her.

“Lila,” he said, his voice rougher than she remembered, like gravel smoothed by the sea. “You came.”

She crossed her arms, keeping her distance. “Don’t make a big deal out of it. I was curious, that’s all.”

He set the guitar down, his eyes searching hers. “You look… good.”

“Don’t.” Her voice was sharp, cutting through the wind. “Just say what you need to say.”

Evan ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit she’d forgotten until now. “I messed up, Lila. I know that. Leaving you like that, not calling, not explaining—it was the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

“Then why did you?” The question burst out, seven years of hurt packed into four words.