The past 13-and-a-half seasons of "Grey's Anatomy" have brought a lot of heartbreak for Ellen Pompeo's character, so it's understandable that fans would want to know if there is greener grass ahead.

January is going to bring the second half of Season 14, including Meredith Grey moving forward after her split from now-former co-worker Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson). However, what exactly that entails, according to Krista Vernoff, "remains to be seen." The showrunner, who shares the job with "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rimes, offered up some insight to EW on Meredith's romantic future. She kept it vague, telling the publication that "love is a possibility" but not Meredith's main focus.

"What is next for Meredith in terms of a love life remains to be seen," Vernoff said. "I believe that romance and love are always a possibility, especially after we've lost the loves of our life. We have to evolve out of our immediate grief."

While it was a blow to lose Riggs, Meredith has been dealing with grief stemming from the death of her husband, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). Her relationship with Riggs "served a beautiful purpose," as Vernoff says, in that it helped Meredith "open her heart again." Now she's in a better place, single or not.

With that open heart, Meredith could, of course, fall in love again eventually -- and frankly, we'd be surprised if she didn't, In the meantime, though, she has plenty to keep her busy at Grey Sloan.

"Grey's Anatomy" returns Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.