Goodbye, My Lost Love

Chapter 11

But it was okay.

I kept telling myself time would heal everything. It was only natural for things to fade, memories, feelings, until they were just distant echoes.

At home, I packed in silence, my movements mechanical. After the cleaning lady had erased every trace of my presence, the house felt empty, like I'd never even been there. I waited quietly for the moment to leave.

When the clock struck midnight, I ripped out the last page. I wrote a simple message in the blank space:

"William, I won't marry you. I wish you and Ava happiness."

And just like that, my professor's words came back to me. After all, I'd once loved him. Maybe, just maybe, I owed him this one last goodbye.

The phone rang for what felt like forever before I finally answered. Ava's voice, light and bubbly, came through. "Is everything okay? It's so late."

My grip tightened around the phone as I asked, "Where is William?"

"William?" She laughed softly. "He's in the shower. He was totally wiped out."

"Oh."

I thought the words would hurt, but when I pressed my hand to my chest, it was strangely empty, like there was nothing left to feel.

Ava's voice continued to echo in my ear, distant and soft. "Well, if you don't need anything else, I'll hang up. We've got the second half of the night ahead of us."

A moment later, a photo popped up on my screen, William and Ava, sleeping side by side, from the night before.

I ended the call, staring at my phone, the image searing into my mind.

Professor, I wanted to say goodbye, but this is how it ended.

And then I realized something important: not everyone gets to leave on their own terms. So, I would leave without looking back. No more meetings.

I wiped my fingerprint off the password lock, grabbed my suitcase, and stepped out into the night, driving into the unknown.

The next morning, at eight o'clock, my phone rang. It was William.

He sounded tired, but hopeful, like he'd stayed up all night planning the proposal ceremony on the hillside. He wanted everything to be perfect, a redo of the rushed proposal from a year ago. He thought this time, he could make everything right. He pictured us standing in the sunlight, the breeze tugging at our hair, apologizing, and making up for all the distance between us. He even had a new wedding dress design ready for me. Something special. Something just for me.

He wanted this day to be unforgettable.

But the call went unanswered. William assumed I was still asleep. After all, I often worked late in the lab and came home wiped out. But I was disciplined. I wouldn't sleep in like this.

His unease started to creep in. He tried to talk himself down, convincing himself I had just missed the call. Maybe I was busy making breakfast or doing something mundane.

A few moments later, he called again. Still no answer. Panic began to settle in. He urged the driver to speed up.

Someone in their group chat asked if they should scatter petals along the road leading to the mountain. William glanced out the car window at the rising sun, its light spilling over everything.

"Victoria should be out there, basking in the sunlight. It's just another ordinary day," he muttered under his breath.

"She didn't hear the phone. She wasn't ignoring me… right?"

If only she knew the surprise I had planned for her today. She'd be overwhelmed with emotion. I could already picture it, maybe even tears. She'd always had a soft spot for me.

He typed a simple reply in the group chat: "Okay."

"We'd walk hand in hand toward a brighter future, stepping into a life full of hope, surrounded by a road lined with blooming flowers."

William stood at the door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. But then, something caught him off guard, his little bunny slippers were nowhere to be found.

His heart skipped a beat. He quickly tried to calm himself. "Victoria must be in the room, waiting for me. She's probably inside, dressed in her best."