Chapter 25: When Two Hearts Beat As One

Noah thought he was handling it well—until he wasn't.

At first, he filled his time with school, basketball, and hanging out with friends. But the quiet moments always crept in. The ones where he thought about texting her. The ones where he stared too long at their old photos.

So, he did what any heartbroken teenage boy would do.

He made mistakes.

He stayed out too late. Skipped a few assignments. Flirted with a girl at a party, hoping for a distraction. But when she kissed him, all he felt was nothing.

That night, he found himself sitting in his car, gripping the steering wheel, thinking, What the hell am I doing?

He wanted to move on. He needed to move on.

But forgetting Ella wasn't as easy as he'd hoped.

Ella threw herself into work, determined to prove that this sacrifice had been worth it.

She took on extra assignments, impressed her mentors, and quickly became one of the most promising interns.

But she made mistakes too.

She stopped calling her family as much. Missed a call from her best friend's birthday. Told herself it was fine when she realized she hadn't texted Noah in weeks.

And then, one night, she went out with a co-worker—a charming, confident guy who made her laugh.

It wasn't a date. It wasn't supposed to be anything.

But when he leaned in to kiss her, she hesitated.

Because no matter how much she told herself she was moving on, her heart still belonged to someone who wasn't here.

And suddenly, she wasn't so sure if leaving had been the right choice after all.