Chapter 19: An Unfinished Goodbye

Evelyn walked along the empty streets after leaving the café, the conversation with Alexander playing on repeat in her mind. It should have felt like closure, like the final period at the end of a painful chapter. But instead, it felt like an ellipsis—an unfinished thought hanging in the air.

The city lights cast long shadows on the pavement, and the cool night air sent a shiver down her spine. She told herself that she was fine, that she was moving forward, but her heart refused to obey logic. It ached with a longing she wasn't ready to acknowledge.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her from her thoughts. She pulled it out and saw a message from her best friend, Claire.

Claire: "Hey, are you okay? Want to talk?"

Evelyn hesitated for a moment before typing back a quick response.

Evelyn: "Not tonight. Just need some time to think."

She slipped the phone back into her coat and continued walking. The truth was, she didn't even know how to put her thoughts into words. Seeing Alexander again had stirred up too many emotions, too many questions she wasn't ready to face.

She turned a corner and found herself standing outside a familiar building. Her old apartment. The place she had shared with Alexander once upon a time. The curtains were drawn, and the warm glow of light seeped through the edges. Someone else lived there now, but for a moment, she could almost imagine stepping inside and finding him waiting for her.

A painful lump formed in her throat, and she forced herself to look away. She wasn't that girl anymore. She wasn't the woman who waited for a love that had already left.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around and walked away, each step feeling heavier than the last. But as much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she knew one thing for certain—this wasn't over. Not yet.