Goodbye, My Lost Love

Chapter 15

If only William had paid attention, maybe he would've noticed the slow fade in the light in Victoria's eyes.

What if, that day, he had chosen to stay at the bridal shop instead of walking away? If he had waited for her, helped her into the beautiful wedding dress, lifted her veil, kissed her gently, and told her how stunning she looked, would things have turned out differently?

She would've blushed, shy as ever, and begged him to stop teasing her. Then, they could've taken pictures, shared them on social media, basking in the warm compliments from friends. Maybe the outcome would've been different.

But in this world, regret doesn't rewrite the past.

Victoria would never come back. And she would never forgive him.

William clutched the wedding dress in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably in a house that no longer felt like home, now empty without her presence.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, I was at a research institute, far removed from it all.

Before I removed my SIM card, I saw the flurry of missed calls from William and his friends. One message contained a photo from the proposal, flowers arranged with my initials and his name.

Ah, so that was the "surprise" he'd promised. But by then, it didn't matter. I didn't respond to anyone. Instead, I blocked the number and discarded the phone, leaving it all behind.

Time at the institute passed in a blur. Ten years came and went in the blink of an eye. The groundbreaking research we'd quietly developed was now hitting the market.

In the eleventh year, my team and I were invited to an international academic conference, always escorted by security.

After the conference, reporters were waiting for us. As we were leaving the venue, a junior researcher tapped me on the shoulder.

"Senior, someone's been watching you for a while."

I turned, and there he was.

William.

No longer the energetic, sharp man I once knew, he was now a middle-aged figure, weary and weathered, so much so that he was nearly unrecognizable. Our eyes met across the room, and for a moment, the past hit me, but it felt distant, like a different life entirely.

He rushed toward me, but security stepped in, blocking his way.

"Victoria, it's me, William!" His voice cracked, filled with desperation. "Please, just a few minutes."

After a thorough security check, we sat down across from each other in a conference room.

Seeing him again, I felt nothing. No rush of emotion. No connection.

When I first joined the institute, my junior had briefed me about him. After I left, William had fallen into a downward spiral, alcoholism, near bankruptcy. It was only the thought of me that had kept him going. It was what drove him to keep working, keep fearing he would never reach me.

Once the restrictions on my house were lifted, he spent a fortune buying it back. I never understood why.

Without him, Ava's family had crumbled financially.

Ava, desperate, turned to a rich married man. When his wife found out, she publicly assaulted Ava. In the chaos of her attempt to flee, Ava was struck by a car. Now, she'd likely spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

I felt no emotion as I listened to these stories. After all, personal dramas seemed insignificant compared to the matters I was dealing with now.

Noticing the indifference in my face, William's voice trembled.

"I'm sorry, Victoria."

The apology came, but I barely flinched. I managed a faint smile, meaningless, hollow.

His words held no weight anymore.

"Do you still hate me?"

I didn't even need to think about it. William had long since faded into the past. A shadow, one that didn't deserve a single drop of emotion.

All those years of love, of pain, were gone with time. Ten years had passed, and I had long since let go.

But for William, forgetting was never an option.

Tears slid down his face, regret and sorrow etched into his features, but I felt nothing. Not anymore.