Shadows of Uncertainty

Days went by, and slowly, Viona began to feel a change in her relationship with Frans. If before, Frans always made time for her, now everything felt different. Phone calls became rarer, messages that used to be replied to quickly were now often delayed for hours, and excuses about being busy came up more frequently.

At first, Viona tried to understand. She knew that Frans was indeed swamped, especially with his increasingly demanding job. She didn't want to be a needy girlfriend or demand too much attention.

However, as the days passed, the distance between them began to widen.

One night, Viona waited for a message from Frans, who had promised to contact her after a meeting. She kept checking her phone, hoping Frans would at least send a short message to let her know he was done. But by the time midnight passed, not a single message came through.

Eventually, Viona sent a message first.

"Are you still busy?"

There was no reply.

She stared at her phone screen for a long time before finally setting it aside on her nightstand. Feelings of disappointment started to bubble up, but she suppressed them deeply.

The next morning, as she was just waking up, her phone finally vibrated. A message from Frans.

"Sorry, I fell asleep after the meeting. I was so tired yesterday."

Viona sighed. She could understand that, but for some reason, the feeling in her heart felt different.

In the following days, the pattern continued. Frans became difficult to reach. Even when they talked, the conversations felt short and minimal. There were no longer lengthy chats about trivial things, no more laughter flowing freely.

And Viona began to realize something she didn't want to admit.

Her relationship with Frans slowly felt like a habit, no longer something that made her feel alive.

On one hand, she wanted to fight to keep it all together. But on the other hand, the less Frans was there for her, the more her thoughts drifted back to someone else.

Steve.

Viona closed her eyes, trying to push that name out of her mind.

But no matter how hard she tried, the image lingered.

Viona sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her silent phone screen. It had been several days since Frans had last genuinely reached out to her warmly, like he used to. She tried to understand, to convince herself that this was just a phase that would pass, that Frans was still the same as before—someone who could always make her feel calm and certain when she had doubts.

However, it was this time that she was doubting everything.

She wanted to believe in Frans, wanted to hold onto their relationship like Frans always did when she was wavering. But the more she tried, the more it felt like Frans was slowly loosening his grip.

And as if the universe wanted to test her further, that afternoon, Viona received a message from Theresia that made her heart race.

"Have you heard about Frans?"

Viona furrowed her brows. Her fingers quickly typed a reply.

"What about?"

It didn't take long for Theresia to send a screenshot of a news article. Viona opened the image quickly, her eyes immediately drawn to a paragraph in the middle of the news.

"It has been reported that the successful businessman, Andrew William, is preparing for the engagement of his son, Frans William, with a talented young marketer, Calista Adriani. Calista, who is the child of Andrew's long-time friend, has reportedly known Frans professionally for quite some time, and their closeness has grown over the past few months."

Viona felt as if her world stopped for a moment. She read the sentence over and over, hoping she had misinterpreted everything.

Frans is getting engaged?

To Calista Adriani?

Viona's hands trembled as she closed her phone screen. Her throat felt dry, and her chest was tight. She didn't know what to think. There had been no warning, no discussion from Frans, no signs that any of this would happen.

Wasn't Frans still with her?

Even though their relationship had become increasingly distant, wasn't he still her boyfriend?

Then how could Frans's family plan an engagement without her knowing anything at all?

Her mind spiraled, searching for reasons. Maybe this was just a rumor. Perhaps this news wasn't true.

But if it wasn't true, why hadn't Frans said anything to her?

Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to appear weak just because of some news.

Yet, within her heart, something was slowly beginning to crack.

For the first time, Viona truly felt afraid.

Afraid that everything she had been holding onto with Frans might no longer mean anything.

Viona remained frozen in place, her eyes staring blankly at the now-dark phone screen. Her heart felt heavy, and her mind was filled with unanswerable questions.

However, before she could sink further into her sadness, her phone vibrated softly in her grip.

A new message came in.

From Steve.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Simple, but for some reason, it was enough to make her take a deep breath.

Viona stared at the message for a few seconds, her fingers hesitating above the screen. Steve didn't know what was happening to her right now. He didn't know about the news, didn't know how her heart had just shattered in an instant.

But of all people, it was Steve who reached out to her.

Viona sighed softly and began typing a reply.

"Not yet. Not very hungry."

It only took a few seconds before Steve's reply came in.

"Do you want me to bring you something? I'm out, I can stop by."

Viona bit her lip. She didn't want to trouble Steve. But at the same time, she also didn't want to be alone with her thoughts for too long.

Her hands moved on their own as she replied.

"Don't bother, Steve."

But Steve replied again.

"I'm still coming by. You don't have to eat if you don't want to, but at least I can keep you company."

Viona stared at the message, feeling something warm spread in her chest.

As Frans grew more distant, as she felt alone in her uncertainty, someone was still there for her.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her tumultuous emotions.

Maybe Steve couldn't change the reality of what was happening.

But at least, for now, she didn't have to face it alone.

Viona lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling with swollen eyes and a heavy head. It had been three days since she last sent a message to Frans. Three days without a response, without explanations, without clarity.

Every time her phone vibrated, her hopes rose momentarily, only to shatter again when she saw that it wasn't from Frans. She even started to hate the notification sound, as it only added to her disappointment.

On the first day, she could still hold back. Trying to think positively. Maybe Frans was busy. Maybe he was looking for the right time to talk.

On the second day, her mind began to fill with bad possibilities. Was it possible that Frans was deliberately ignoring her? Did he not want to explain anything?

By the third day, Viona was completely submerged in her anxiety. That night, she lay awake with her eyes open, recalling every memory with Frans—from the first time they met to every word he had ever said that could always bring her comfort.

"I won't leave you, Vi. I'll always be there."

Then why did she have to wait in such uncertainty now?

As her mind grew more chaotic, her phone suddenly vibrated.

Viona immediately reached for it, her heart racing faster when she saw the name that appeared on the screen.

Frans.

Her hands almost trembled as she opened his message.

"Vi, sorry for the late reply. Can we talk?"

That was all.

No explanation for why he had been silent all this time. No longer apology.

Viona bit her lip, feeling a mix of emotions—anger, relief, and sadness. She wanted to reply quickly, to resolve everything right away, but at the same time, there was a fear creeping into her heart.

What would Frans say? What answers would she hear?

However, one thing was certain—she could no longer delay this.

With a trembling breath, she began typing a reply.

"When?"

After a few minutes that felt like a century, her phone finally vibrated.

A message from Frans.

"Okay. Let's meet at our usual place at seven?"

Viona stared at her phone screen for a long time before finally typing a short reply.

"Okay."