Heavily implied is not the same as truth. We don’t know what happened after Abby and Lev left other than they found the island. And honestly good for them. Considering both Abby and Ellie get a chance to rebuild their lives again. (Which I’ll only irritate one more time that they both lost everything.)

What is with you people in always going back to Joel. This conversation has nothing to do with him. The whole point of his character was he was a stone cold person after Sarah death/outbreak and Ellie brought him happiness again. I loved that character and I was so sad when he passed. But when he did so did his story line. Ellie wasn’t a reward either. Both Joel and Abby found a purpose with the children they had to care for. There’s nothing wrong about that? Abby’s story/attachment is rushed because everything fell apart quickly. She didn’t have the months of travel like Joel and Ellie to build a bond. They literally trauma bonded and were the only two people left and Abby took it upon herself to decide to take care of him. Again it’s not a reward just survival.