The Goodbye thst Wasn’t

The Goodbye That Wasn't

Aurora sat frozen, staring at the door Cassian had walked through, the warmth of his fleeting touch still lingering on her skin.

This was supposed to be the end—the moment where she and Cassian finally accepted reality and let go. The moment where she would walk away, convincing herself that what they shared was just a fragment of the past, something that never should have resurfaced in the first place.

Then why did it feel like she had just made the biggest mistake of her life?

Her heart pounded in her chest as she gripped the coffee cup in front of her, but the once-warm liquid had turned cold, mirroring the numbness creeping through her veins. She had told him it had to stop. She had drawn the line.

So why did every part of her feel like she had just torn something vital out of herself?

She sucked in a breath, willing herself to move, to leave, to escape before the emotions building inside her shattered the fragile wall she had put up.

Pushing her chair back, she grabbed her purse and stood up, forcing herself to breathe. She stepped outside into the cool afternoon air, the sounds of the city buzzing around her, yet she felt strangely disconnected from it all—like she was watching her life unfold from the outside, unable to reach out and take control.

She walked aimlessly, barely paying attention to where she was going, until she found herself at the waterfront. The sea stretched before her, endless and vast, mirroring the storm inside her.

This was where she always came when she needed to think.

She wrapped her arms around herself, the wind whipping her hair around her face as she tried to make sense of everything.

Cassian was getting married.

That was the one truth she couldn't escape.

He wasn't hers. He hadn't been for a long time.

And yet, last night had meant something. She had seen it in his eyes, felt it in the way he had looked at her, touched her, spoken to her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing a hand to her forehead.

"Why now, Cassian?"

Why, after all these years, did fate decide to pull them back together just when he was about to belong to someone else?

She inhaled shakily, forcing herself to be rational.

What was she expecting? For him to throw away his engagement? For him to choose her over the life he had built?

It was a selfish thought, and she hated herself for even entertaining it.

She had to let him go.

She had to.

Just as she made up her mind, her phone vibrated in her purse.

Aurora frowned, pulling it out.

Her breath hitched when she saw the message on the screen.

Cassian: Meet me. Please. One last time.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

One last time.

She knew she should ignore it. Knew that meeting him again was dangerous.

But despite everything, her heart had already made the decision before her mind could catch up.

Cassian was waiting for her at the old train station—the very place where everything had ended between them all those years ago.

Aurora's steps slowed as she approached him, her heart hammering against her ribs.

This place held too many memories.

It was where she had said goodbye, where she had walked away from him believing it was for the best.

Now, here they were again.

Cassian stood near the platform, hands buried in his pockets, his gaze locked onto hers the moment she arrived.

The silence between them was thick, filled with words they were both afraid to say.

Then, he took a slow step forward.

"I lied," he said softly.

Aurora swallowed. "About what?"

His gray eyes held hers, unwavering. "About letting you go. About being okay without you."

Her breath caught, her fingers tightening around the strap of her purse. "Cassian, we can't do this."

He let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. "Why not? Because it's too late? Because I'm engaged?"

She flinched at his words. "Yes," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "Because you have a life, Cassian. A future with Eleanor. And I won't be the reason you throw it all away."

He took another step closer, his presence overwhelming. "And what if I don't want that future anymore?"

Aurora's lips parted, but no words came out.

Cassian exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Do you know how long I've been pretending, Aurora? How long I've tried to convince myself that I made the right choice? That losing you was just something I had to live with?" He shook his head, his voice laced with frustration. "But then you came back into my life, and suddenly, all the lies I've been telling myself don't work anymore."

Tears stung her eyes. "Cassian, I—"

"Tell me," he interrupted, stepping so close she could see every emotion flickering across his face. "Tell me that you don't love me anymore. Say it, and I'll walk away."

Aurora opened her mouth—

But nothing came out.

Because she couldn't say it.

Because it would be a lie.

Tears slipped down her cheeks, and Cassian let out a shaky breath before reaching for her, his fingers gently tilting her chin up.

"See?" he whispered. "You can't say it either."

She squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body trembling. "But it doesn't change anything."

His jaw tensed. "It changes everything."

Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken emotions.

Then, in a moment of pure desperation, Cassian did the one thing she had been trying to avoid.

He kissed her.

It wasn't soft or tentative. It was raw, filled with years of longing, of love that had never faded.

Aurora gasped against his lips, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she found herself clinging to him, pouring every suppressed emotion into the kiss, into the moment.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them breathless, Cassian cupped her face gently.

"I love you," he murmured. "And I don't want a life where I have to pretend that I don't."

Aurora swallowed hard, her heart aching. "Then what do we do, Cassian? Because walking away didn't work. But staying… staying means hurting people."

He pressed his forehead against hers. "I don't have all the answers. But I know one thing—I can't marry Eleanor when my heart belongs to someone else."

Her breath shuddered out. "Cassian…"

His fingers traced her cheek. "Come with me," he whispered. "Let's stop running from this. Let's figure it out together."

Aurora hesitated.

Logic told her this was reckless, that love wasn't enough to fix everything.

But her heart—her foolish, stubborn heart—had already decided.

This time, she wouldn't run.

She laced her fingers with his, inhaling deeply.

"Okay," she whispered.

And just like that, the past stopped holding them back.

Because for the first time, they were choosing each other.