Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Clara had decided to meet Liam one last time—not to beg him to come back, but to put an end to whatever remained between them.
She wanted answers. She wanted to tell him everything she had kept to herself throughout their relationship: the nights she spent waiting, the sacrifices she made, and the dreams she put aside while Liam chased his own.
She wanted him to understand how it felt to love someone who was always reaching for something beyond her.
Even now, when they were no longer together, she still waited for him.
Clara stood on the empty street, her eyes fixed on the road where Liam was supposed to appear. Her face was pale, her expression a mixture of devastation and impatience. She checked her phone for the hundredth time, hoping to see his name light up the screen. Almost an hour passed.
The street grew quieter, and the night air turned colder. Clara hugged herself, looking down at her phone. Liam still hadn't arrived.
She could have left. She could have walked away and never looked back.
But she didn't.
Because despite everything, she still wanted to see him. She still wanted to hear his voice, to look into his eyes, and to finally say all the things she had buried deep inside her heart.
And in that moment, Clara realized something that hurt more than his absence ever could.
She still had feelings for him.Not the kind of love that made her believe everything would be okay. Not the kind that promised a future together.
It was the kind of feeling that remained after someone had already chosen to leave.
She remembered all the times Liam had been too busy chasing his dreams to notice how much she needed him. All the moments she had convinced herself that loving him meant understanding his priorities. All the times she had swallowed her disappointment because she didn't want to become another obstacle in his way.
She had told herself that his dreams mattered. That his sacrifices would be worth it someday.
But what about hers?
What about the dreams she had quietly abandoned just to make room for his?
Clara looked down the empty street once more.Not the kind of love that made her believe everything would be okay. Not the kind that promised a future together.
It was the kind of feeling that remained after someone had already chosen to leave.
She remembered all the times Liam had been too busy chasing his dreams to notice how much she needed him. All the moments she had convinced herself that loving him meant understanding his priorities. All the times she had swallowed her disappointment because she didn't want to become another obstacle in his way.
She had told herself that his dreams mattered. That his sacrifices would be worth it someday.
But what about hers?
What about the dreams she had quietly abandoned just to make room for his?
Clara looked down the empty street once more.
The restaurant doors finally opened.
Liam stepped outside, his eyes searching the street for the woman he had promised to meet. And there she was.
Clara stood beneath the dim streetlight, her phone resting in her hand. Her shoulders were trembling, and tears slowly slipped down her cheeks. She had been waiting for him for so long that she could no longer tell whether she was crying because he was late or because she knew this would be the last time she would wait for him.Liam froze.
For a moment, he simply stared at her.
He saw the woman who had waited through his busy days, his unanswered messages, and his broken promises. The woman who had always understood when he said he had no time. The woman who had stayed even when staying meant hurting herself.
And now, she was standing in front of him, crying.
He realized that once again, he had disappointed her.
"Clara..."
But standing before him, all she could feel was the unbearable weight of loving someone she was about to lose for good.
"Liam," she whispered.
He took a step closer.
"I'm sorry. I—"
"Please," Clara interrupted, her voice breaking. "Let me finish."
Liam stopped.
Clara wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, but the tears kept coming. She took a deep breath, gathering whatever strength she had left."Just because I love you doesn't mean I will always understand, even when it hurts me so much. Even before I chose you, I chose to understand you. I chose to let you follow your dreams. I chose to wait."
Her voice grew weaker.
"I chose to be hurt, Liam. I chose not to choose myself."
Liam's lips parted, but no words came out.
"And that was the biggest mistake I made in loving you," Clara continued, her tears falling faster. "I kept choosing to hurt myself because I loved you. I kept telling myself that your dreams were important, that you needed time, that someday things would be different."
She looked away, trying to catch her breath.
"But while you were busy chasing everything you wanted to become, I was here, waiting for you to notice that I was slowly losing myself."
The first drops of rain began to fall.
Clara didn't move.
"Liam, do you know what hurts the most?" she asked, her voice barely rising above the sound of the rain. "It's not that you were busy. It's not that you had dreams you wanted to achieve. I was proud of you. I wanted you to succeed."Liam's hands fell to his sides.
Clara looked at him one last time.
"I hope you achieve everything you've ever dreamed of, Liam."
Her voice trembled, but she managed to smile.
"I really do."
She turned around before he could say anything.
The rain continued to fall as she walked away, each step taking her farther from the man she had once imagined spending her life with.
Liam remained standing outside the restaurant, watching her disappear into the darkness.