Elena's POV
I didn't come to fight.
I came to collect what was mine.
The pieces I left behind.
The pieces I wasn't ready to carry… until now.
I didn't wait for him to offer help. I moved through the room like I didn't know him—like we were strangers sharing space.
He kept trying to talk. Softly. Carefully.
But I didn't have it in me to listen.
Not tonight.
Not when I'd spent the whole day fighting to keep myself together… only to find him walking home with her.
Sophia.
Still standing outside the gate.
Still waiting.
I folded the last of my sweaters into the bag. Calm. Controlled. Detached.
His voice cut through the silence. "Elena—"
"I'm almost done," I said, not looking at him.
Because if I did…
If I did, I might fall apart.
And I was done falling.
Just when I thought I could come back to you.
To make amends.
To try.
And I witnessed what I didn't expect.
Julian with Sophia.
Walking casual. Laughing like the world hadn't cracked between us.
