Chapter 9:- A Final Farewell

It had taken Rose what felt like an eternity to fully move on from Mikey. The days were long, and the nights even longer, but bit by bit, she had carved out a new life for herself—a life where she no longer needed him. Her mornings were filled with a newfound sense of peace, and her nights no longer haunted by memories of what could have been. She was finally free.

But life, as it often does, had one last test for her.

A month after Rose had finally started to feel whole again, Mikey returned. His message was unexpected, a simple text that read:

**Mikey**: Hey, we broke up.

For a moment, Rose stared at the message, her stomach sinking. She had spent so much time distancing herself from Mikey, building her life back up brick by brick, only for him to reappear like a wrecking ball, threatening to destroy all the progress she had made. But this time, things were different. Rose was different.

She had learned her lesson. She wasn't the same person who had once waited for him to change, to come back, to make things right. She was stronger now, and she wasn't going to let him undo all the growth she had achieved.

**Rose**: I'm sorry to hear that.

Her response was polite but distant, a reflection of the emotional distance she had finally established between them. She wasn't going to fall for his games again.

But Mikey wasn't one to give up so easily. He kept messaging her, telling her about the breakup, how things had ended with his best friend, and how he regretted everything. He told Rose that he missed her, that he thought about her often, and that he wished things had been different between them.

Rose listened, but she didn't let his words affect her. She knew better now. Mikey's regrets weren't about her—they were about him. He didn't miss her; he missed the comfort and validation she had always given him. He wanted her back, not because he loved her, but because he didn't want to be alone.

Then, one day, the truth came out.

During one of their conversations, Rose asked the question that had been on her mind since the beginning.

**Rose**: Did you really kiss her? Your best friend?

There was a long pause before Mikey finally responded.

**Mikey**: Yeah, I did. But... I was thinking of you the whole time.

The words hit Rose like a slap in the face. Any lingering sympathy she might have had for Mikey evaporated in an instant. He thought of her while kissing someone else? The sheer audacity, the complete lack of respect for her feelings, made her stomach turn.

For a brief moment, Rose felt disgusted, not just with Mikey but with herself for ever having wanted him back. How could she have let someone like him control her emotions for so long? How could she have wasted so much time and energy on someone who didn't even understand what it meant to care about another person?

The anger bubbled up inside her, but Rose didn't let it show. She had learned to master her emotions, to keep them in check when it came to Mikey. Instead, she responded calmly, as though his admission hadn't affected her at all.

**Rose**: I see. Well, I hope things work out for you.

She kept her tone casual, as if they were simply discussing the weather. Mikey didn't know it, but this was the last conversation they would ever have.

That night, Rose shared everything with Momo. She told him about Mikey's confession, about how he had admitted to thinking of her while kissing someone else. Momo was livid on her behalf.

**Momo**: He's disgusting, Rose. You deserve so much better than this.

Rose knew Momo was right. She had known it for a long time, but hearing it from someone else, from someone who genuinely cared about her, made all the difference. It solidified her decision. Mikey had crossed a line, and there was no going back.

For the next few days, Mikey continued to message Rose, but she didn't respond. She had made up her mind. She wasn't going to let him back into her life. Not this time.

Eventually, Mikey stopped trying. He faded away, just as he had done before, but this time, Rose didn't feel the same sense of loss. She didn't feel the same heartache. Instead, she felt a sense of closure, a finality that had eluded her for so long.

Rose had grown tired of the games, the emotional manipulation, the endless cycle of hurt and disappointment. She realized that Mikey had never truly cared for her—not in the way she had deserved. He had always been too focused on himself, on his own desires and needs, to truly see her for who she was.

And now, Rose was done.

For the first time in a long while, she felt free—truly free. She didn't need Mikey's approval or affection to feel whole. She didn't need his presence in her life to validate her worth. She was enough, just as she was.

As the days turned into weeks, Rose felt a lightness that she hadn't felt in years. She spent time with Momo and Emma, focusing on the people who truly cared about her. She poured her energy into her passions, into the things that made her happy, and slowly, the scars that Mikey had left behind began to fade.

There were still moments when she thought of him, of course. It was impossible not to, given how much he had meant to her at one point in her life. But those thoughts no longer held the same weight. They were memories, distant and disconnected from the person she had become.

Rose no longer missed him. She no longer longed for his attention or affection. She had learned that real happiness didn't come from someone else. It came from within, from being true to herself, from surrounding herself with people who valued her for who she truly was.

And so, Rose said her final farewell to Mikey—not with words, but with actions. She didn't need to explain herself to him. She didn't need to have one last conversation or send one last message. Her silence was her closure.

She had moved on, and she wasn't looking back.

As she sat in the park one afternoon, the sun shining down on her, Rose smiled to herself. Life was far from perfect, but it was hers, and for the first time in a long while, she felt content.

Mikey was part of her past, a chapter that had finally closed. And as Rose looked ahead, she knew that the future held so much more—more joy, more growth, more love.

She was ready for it.