“...Let’s start with this.”
My thumb hovered over the block button.
And for a moment, neither of us moved or spoke. The room felt strangely quiet.
Then, I pressed it.
Blocked.
I handed back the phone to Mio, staring up at me from the bed.
A single tap was all it took for me to feel somewhat relieved.
But for Mio, that was months of messages, memories, and excuses, all gone.
She stared at the screen without moving a muscle.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Then another.
And another.
I looked away, because for some reason, I couldn’t watch.
I couldn’t look at her.
Not when I had just taken away the last thing she was holding onto.
I heard the occasional sniffle behind me.
I turned back around when the sniffles began to quiet out, “It’s done now, it’s going to be okay...”
Mio nodded.
She didn’t look relieved or happy.
She looked exhausted.
She looked like someone who finally had to put down a weight that they’ve been carrying for way too long.
“I didn’t know how to let go.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The worst part of it all was that I understood exactly what she meant.
I couldn’t help but stare.
Because no matter what I said, nothing would help her right now.
“I knew he wasn’t good for me.”
Tears started to fall as she stared at her hands.
“I knew he wouldn’t change.”
“Then why?” I asked.
The question slipped out before I could stop myself.
Mio laughed weakly. A sad and bitter laugh.
“Because...”
She wiped her eyes, “I kept hoping I was wrong.”
...
The room went quiet again.
But for some reason, what she said felt all too familiar.
I perfectly understood where she was coming from, which upset me even more, because she was just like me.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand, but I ignored it.
Mio’s eyes drifted towards the screen then back to me.
“...Do you still have her added?”
...
My stomach sank because this next conversation was about to show that I’m still pathetic at the core.
I nodded slowly.
The disappointment on her face wasn’t judgment, anger, or sadness.
It was simply the look you give someone when you understand them.
...
“Send her a message.”
“What?”
“A goodbye message.”
I stared at her as she stared back.
She didn’t seem like she was joking. Not a single smirk or smile slipped through.
“...Mio.”
“You told me to let them go.” She said as her eyes drifted back towards the screen.
“Now it’s your turn, Ren.”
...
“But...”
I couldn’t argue, she was right, I wasn’t in a position to reject what she said.
I unlocked my phone and opened my messages, sitting on the side of my bed beside Mio.
I started typing as Mio leaned against me, watching every word.
It may have seemed like I was being forced, but these words laid dormant within me for the past couple months.
Even though they were meant to be said, they were still painful to see written in a message meant for her.
Like pulling glass shards from a wound.
After typing up a few paragraphs, I stared at the screen.
Before I could think clearly on how or when I should send this, Mio’s finger crossed my vision, pressing the ‘send’ button for me.
“Mio-”
“What... you were just sitting there... You were probably going to back out of it last second too.”
I looked at Mio and she looked at me, “You’re... right.” I said.
My phone vibrated in my hands, a response came back almost immediately.
“Please don’t do this.”
“I know I hurt you, I know I messed up, I know it was wrong of me.”
I gripped the phone tighter.
“But I can change, so please don’t leave me... please Ren.”
My chest tightened.
I didn’t want to go back, and I didn’t still love her, but just the memory of how she used to be was engraved into my mind, with each remembrance hurting me.
The years I spent loving her, the person I told I loved, the memories we made, they were there, and getting rid of her would completely shatter everything.
Before I could think of a response, I felt my phone be taken from my hands.
Mio grabbed my phone without asking, “Mio-”
The call was already ringing, as she scooted further down the bed from me.
My eyes widened in shock, but I had not an ounce of regret from letting her take it.
A quiet voice came from the other side of the phone when the line connected, “Ren?”
Mio didn’t answer at first, “...Are you there Ren?”
For a moment I thought she would stay calm.
“You cheated on someone who loved you.”
...
“You hurt him.”
...
“You lied to him.”
...
Mio’s grip around my phone tightened.
“And now you’re trying to guilt him into staying because you’re lonely?!”
“You don’t understand-”
“No! YOU don’t understand.”
...
“Did Haruto leave you for someone else? Are you bored of Haruto now and you want to go back? Is your fling over?!”
This was the first time I’ve seen Mio genuinely angry.
“You don’t get to do that.”
Hearing this all made me feel like the air was heavier.
“You had someone who loved you.”
Her voice trembled with pain.
“And you threw him away.”
...
Silence. Neither spoke.
Mio then ended the call, blocked her contact, and went through my social media accounts, blocking her on there too.
She clenched her jaw as tears escaped her eyes as she extended the phone toward me, looking ahead towards the wall.
“Take it, she’s gone, just like Haruto... keep it that way.”
Just like that, it was over.
The final thread that kept me with Yuna was finally severed.
I took the phone and stared at the ‘blocked user’ on the screen.
My hands trembled.
Thanks to the door finally being closed, everything hit at once. All the bottled-up emotions I had kept buried.
The movie theater, the confession, the lies, and the loneliness.
All of it. Every last bit.
My vision began to blur and before I knew it, I was crying.
Not quietly and not gracefully.
Just crying as months of emotions spilled out all at once.
I hated how weak I felt, I hated how much it hurt, and I hated how much I cared still.
...
I couldn’t stop myself, it was like the floodgates were open and unable to close.
In the midst of my spiraling, I felt a warmth wrap around me.
I wiped my eyes, seeing Mio wrapping her arms around me.
“So... warm.”
She patted my back as she nestled her chin on my shoulder, still tearing up.
It was warm, gentle, and it felt nice.
I don’t know how long it’s been since I last felt this sensation.
She didn’t say anything, she just held me, because her warmth was enough.
...
That night, neither of us slept much.
A notification appeared on Mio’s phone from her friend.
“Haruto came by to check up on you earlier, did something happen?”
Mio started to sob again, so we sat there, I patted her back as she held onto me.
We were sitting there like two idiots, clinging onto each other as we tried to survive the consequences of people we couldn’t let go until now.
...
At some point the exhaustion won, the room became quiet, my eyes closed, and all I remember is waking up to the sunlight creeping through the curtains.
My arm felt numb, but when I noticed, I saw Mio still wrapped in my arms, still sleeping.
She curled up closer than what I remember, her face was buried into my chest, her hair was a complete mess, and her eyes were swollen from crying.
But I couldn’t help but think she looked peaceful.
For the first time in days, maybe even weeks or months, she looked like she was sleeping well.
Trapped under her weight, I stared up at the ceiling, thinking about what happened with Yuna and Haruto, along with the cheating, pain, lies, and grief.
I then looked back down at Mio.
“Who would’ve thought... the person who understood me best, would be going through the exact same thing.”
...
A small smile found its way onto my face, followed by a small chuckle.
Mio turned over in her sleep, grabbing my arm and pulling it over her like a blanket.
I grabbed and looked at my phone, seeing messages from Zak and some others, but before I could unlock my phone, it ran out of battery.
I tried moving my arm from Mio’s grasp, but to no avail, she scooted closer.
She turned over in my arms, as she looked towards me and slowly opened her eyes.
“Good... morning...” She said, in a very sleepy voice.
“Good morning, Mio.”
She blinked and rubbed her eyes, as her gaze scanned the room.
“WHA-” She sat up quickly.
“I can finally feel my arm now,” I said, sitting up beside her and moving my shoulder.
She stared at me with her eyes widened.
“...Did we?-”
I chuckled, “I didn’t touch you, don’t worry... in fact, you kept grabbing onto my arm.”
She looked away and covered her face.
“Want some breakfast? I should have some eggs in the fridge.” I offered.
She looked back at me, her hands still covering her face, and peeked through her fingers, “Yes please...”
I exhaled and stood up, “Omelette?”
She nodded.
“Alright, go clean yourself up and get back here for breakfast.”
I took out the eggs, cracking them into the omelette, “It’ll be ready in a few minutes!”
...
After setting down the dishes onto the table, Mio walked out of my bathroom, with her hair set back up in her usual twin-braids, resting over her shoulders.
Her eyes glistened with sparkles upon seeing the table.
“I also made some rice, although it’s just leftovers from earlier this week.”
“That’s fine!”
We sat down at the table and said our blessings.
She took a bite into the omelette but said nothing as she stared at me.
“This is...”
I suddenly felt nervous.
I didn’t think my cooking would be judged today of all days.
“...Amazing!”
I exhaled, “Phew.”
She took bite after bite without much chewing.
“Calm down Mio, you’ll choke.”
“Sorry-” She clenched her jaw.
“I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in so long...”
“I’m not the best cook, but I’ll make us dinner tonight too if you think it’ll be good enough.”
She looked at me, “I would love that!” Then she went back to stuffing her face with eggs and rice.
After breakfast, we got up and sat down at the table near my bed, looking at our phones.
We both had messages to reply to, with our phones both connected to chargers as we left them on all last night.
...
In the midst of the silence, she looked up at me, “Is this what your morning hair looks like?”
I turned on the camera app and switched it around, showing my hair going off in all directions.
“Oh wow my hair’s a mess.”
Even with my hair being a mess, I wasn’t sad, upset, or disappointed.
I was happy.
We both chuckled before looking back at our phones.
She’d occasionally show me something funny from her texts with her friends, in which I did the same.
For the first time in months, everything felt calm and quiet.
Maybe all this time, moving forward didn’t mean forgetting, but rather accepting.
Maybe that was the first step we needed to take all along.
And I think...
We finally took it.
55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTqHf7MI1y
End of Volume 1: Betrayal55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ30OdVlMLB
Thank you for reading.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2I7pGjaPd3
Writing this Volume brought back a lot of thoughts and emotions that I hadn’t revisited in quite some time.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmLry2jTBh
Because of that reason, I’d like to take a few days to rest and prepare for what’s next.55Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vQKTy4LPc
Thank you again and I’ll see you in the next Volume.
and then Add to home screen.