I ended the connection and rose, tasting the finality on my tongue. I could not remain in the estate of a man who had chosen another, even if he had once been my partner, my confidant. I gathered the untouched dishes, packed them carefully, and collected my belongings.
The ride back to my modest apartment was quiet, the night wind pressing against the windows as if urging me to remember who I was beyond his orbit. My parents had gifted me this place after my graduation, after my rites of passage, yet for months I had neglected it, swayed by his insistence that our lives—our territories—were too far apart to bind together.
The distance, I realized, was never measured in streets or alleys—it was measured in hearts, and ours were separated by oceans unseen, even under the same city lights.
Back in my quiet apartment, I arranged my few possessions, washed under the dim glow of the streetlamp outside, and finally surrendered to sleep alone.
By dawn, my secure line flickered with messages from him—weak tendrils of guilt:
“What’s come over you?”
“Return when your anger fades. Don’t be willful.”
I ignored them, letting them vanish into the emptiness of the room, as I had so many times before.
Via had always had a pull on him, a claim that summoned him whenever storms rattled her windows, whenever fear drove her into the night. I had argued, demanded, even threatened, but he always replied,
“Those with corrupt hearts see betrayal everywhere.”
Every abandonment had been repaired with flowers, gestures, and promises that lured me back into a love that had never truly been mine. But tonight, beneath the indifferent gaze of the city skyline, I understood—I was done.
This time, I would not return.
As I stepped out of the council room after the day’s business, I saw him waiting near the edge of the compound. Streetlights glinted off his broad shoulders and tall, commanding frame, every movement precise, deliberate, as if the city itself had carved him. Even passing associates couldn’t help but steal glances.
If it had been any other evening, I might have walked straight to him, letting him guide me to a quieter corner of the estate where fewer eyes could watch. But not tonight. Tonight, I wanted to pass as if I had never seen him.