Chapter 123

Daniel’s POV.

I collapsed onto my bed, feeling like I’d been punched in the gut Christiana had chosen Alex. She’d gone back to him, to her ex, her kids‘ father, the man she “never stopped loving.” And here I was, alone with nothing but this hollow ache, this tugging emptiness that wouldn’t let go. Every time I closed my eyes, I could still see her, hear her words playing on repeat. I’d been holding onto some ridiculous hope, some dream that maybe she could love me the way I loved her. I was a fool, wasn’t I?

I raked a hand through my hair, letting out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a choke. “What were you thinking, Daniel?” I muttered to myself. “That she’d choose you over him? They have a life together, kids… How could you ever compare to that?”

The room was dark, curtains drawn tight, blocking out the world outside. Shadows pooled around me, just as empty and heavy as this ache in my chest. My phone had been vibrating with messages all day, my grandmother, my brothers,but I couldn’t bring myself to answer. What was I supposed to tell them? That I’d given my heart to someone who only saw me as a friend? That every smile, every laugh, every shared moment had meant everything to me but barely scratched the surface for her?

I clenched my fists, feeling anger bubbling beneath the hurt. “Why didn’t you just tell me, Christiana?” I whispered, voice breaking, “Why did you let me believe I had a chance?”

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening, as though the words were still stuck there, refusing to leave. I’d been stupid enough to think she could love me, to think that maybe, just maybe, I could be the one to make her happy. But I was wrong. She’d never really seen me, not like that. I was nothing more than a friend, a shoulder to lean on, someone she could talk to when she needed support.

I looked around the room, every corner filled with reminders of her. The empty coffee cup she’d left the last time she visited, the sketch she’d made on the corner of my notepad when she was lost in thought. I’d been holding onto those little things, clinging to them like they meant something, like they’d prove she felt something too.

“Get a grip, Daniel,” I muttered, my voice laced with frustration. But I couldn’t shake it, couldn’t shake the feeling of being torn apart from the inside. This hurt ran too deep, deeper than anything I’d felt before.

I shut my eyes, willing the ache in my chest to loosen its grip. But the more I tried to let go, the tighter it wrapped around me, squeezing every breath, every bit of sanity left. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she’d looked at me that last time we were together, her eyes gentle, soft, but filled with a hint of something I couldn’t quite grasp. Maybe pity. Maybe guilt.

I let out a shaky breath, running my hands over my face. “You’re pathetic, Daniel,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Chasing after someone who was never yours to begin with.”

me, each second stretching longer than the last. She was probably with him right now, probably feeling like she was exactly where she belonged, back in the arms of

it up, seeing my grandmother’s name. Her

into hoping for something that was never real? That I didn’t even know who I was anymore without the hope that maybe, just maybe, I could

onto the bed. I was so tired of this, so tired of pretending to be okay when everything felt wrong. She’d told me her decision calmly, gently, like she was breaking it to a child. And that was what stung the

shut again, the weight of it pressing down harder. “Why did you lead me on,

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Chapter 123

me think…” My voice

98%

But deep down, I knew better. She was fnore than just a fleeting crush, more than just someone I wanted.

any of that matter

flickered in my mind–the laughter we shared, the late–night talks, the times when she’d

that I was more than this, that I’d survived worse. But every time I tried to push her out of my mind,

I deserve,” I muttered to myself, a bitter smile

of despair that threatened to pull

creaked open, and my grandmother stepped in, her face lined with worry. She took one look at me and sighed, reaching out to pull

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