“Sandcastles” is a one of the few ballads on the album. Beyoncé’s vocals are raw and wounded, but newly hopeful.

The pared-down video that accompanies the track shows Beyoncé sitting cross-legged at a keyboard with headphones on as she hoarsely sings into a microphone. The camera pans across the sparse room to show signs of a failed or broken relationship—wilted flowers, a cracked bowl, weathered and faded photographs.

These shots are interspersed with intimate moments between Bey and Jay. Jay’s wedding ring is visible as she kisses his hand, they hug and stare in to each other’s eyes. These tender acts can be viewed as Jay’s surrender, and Beyoncé’s acceptance of his wrongdoings.

Like the waves that wash “Sandcastles” away, reality has tested this marriage and the promises that were made. Now Beyoncé starts to think about what comes next.