Chapter Thirteen: A Future Without Her

1. The Absence That Remained

Some wounds never truly heal.

Lin Ge had learned to walk forward, to wake up each morning without feeling like his world had collapsed. He had learned to smile at strangers, to hold conversations without the weight of loss pressing against his chest.

But some nights—some moments in between breaths—he still felt it.

The absence of her.

Not just Qiu Qian herself, but everything she had meant to him. The warmth of her laughter, the familiarity of her presence, the certainty that they were meant to belong in the same story.

But that story had ended.

And he was writing a new one.

One where she no longer existed beside him.

One where he had to learn who he was without her.

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2. An Unexpected Invitation

A few weeks after his last encounter with the woman from the café, Lin Ge received an unexpected message.

[Hey. I know this is random, but I'm hosting a small gathering this weekend. Thought you might want to come.]

It was from her—Yu Yan.

He hesitated, staring at the screen.

A gathering. A social event.

Something that would require him to exist in the present, not the past.

Lin Ge wasn't sure he was ready.

But maybe readiness wasn't what mattered.

Maybe what mattered was choosing to try anyway.

[I'll be there.]

He sent the message before he could change his mind.

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3. Among Strangers and Friends

The gathering was in a cozy little bar—dim lights, soft music, the quiet hum of conversation filling the space.

Yu Yan greeted him with a smile, waving him over. "You actually came."

Lin Ge gave a small shrug. "Figured it was time to stop drinking coffee alone."

She laughed, nudging him toward a group of people. "Come on, let me introduce you."

And just like that—he was surrounded by warmth again.

The people were kind, welcoming. They shared stories, laughed over old memories, talked about the future with a certainty Lin Ge wasn't sure he had yet.

But for the first time, he didn't feel out of place.

He wasn't just watching from the outside.

He was part of it.

And when Yu Yan caught his eye, grinning like she had just won some silent bet—

Lin Ge found himself smiling back.

Not out of politeness.

But because, for the first time in a long time, he wanted to.

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4. The Ghosts That No Longer Haunted Him

As the night stretched on, Lin Ge found himself leaning against the balcony railing, watching the city lights flicker in the distance.

He remembered the first time he had stood here.

How the weight of loss had felt suffocating, unbearable.

How the past had seemed like a chain around his ankles, keeping him from ever stepping into the future.

But tonight, it felt different.

The past was still there—it always would be.

But it no longer felt like a cage.

Just a part of him, woven into his story, but not the only thing that defined him anymore.

"Deep in thought?"

Lin Ge turned to see Yu Yan beside him, holding two glasses of whiskey.

He took one, exhaling softly. "Something like that."

She studied him for a moment. "You know, when I first met you, you looked like someone waiting for something that would never come back."

Lin Ge's fingers tightened around the glass.

She wasn't wrong.

He had been waiting.

For a miracle. For a reset. For some impossible way to get back what he had lost.

But not anymore.

Lin Ge took a slow sip of his drink, then met her gaze.

"Not waiting anymore," he said quietly.

And for the first time—he meant it.

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5. A New Chapter

By the time the night ended, Lin Ge found himself walking home under the glow of streetlights, feeling strangely at peace.

There was no dramatic revelation. No sudden moment where everything felt perfect.

But he was okay.

And that was enough.

Because healing wasn't about forgetting.

It was about learning how to carry the past without letting it consume the future.

And step by step, moment by moment—

Lin Ge was finally learning how to live again.

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