Chapter Two

Ella didn't remember leaving the restaurant.

She didn't remember saying goodbye.

All she remembered was Daniel's voice.

"It was a mistake."

"It didn't mean anything."

Her grip tightened around the steering wheel until her fingers hurt.

A mistake.

How many lies had it taken to keep that mistake alive for months?

She stopped at a red light and glanced at her left hand.

The diamond ring was gone.

The finger that had carried it for almost a year suddenly felt strangely bare, as though a piece of her had been cut away.

A sharp knock against her window startled her.

Daniel.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as if he had run all the way from the restaurant.

He knocked again.

"Ella... please."

She stared straight ahead.

Another knock.

"Ella, open the door."

She closed her eyes.

This wasn't happening.

It couldn't be.

The passenger door suddenly opened.

He had forgotten she never locked the car.

Daniel slipped inside, breathing heavily.

"Ella, please listen to me."

Silence.

"I know you're angry."

She let out a dry laugh.

"Angry?"

Her voice was almost a whisper.

"You think I'm angry?"

He swallowed.

"I made a terrible mistake."

She slowly turned to face him.

"If I hadn't walked down that hallway tonight..."

Her eyes searched his.

"...would you have told me?"

Daniel looked away.

That was all the answer she needed.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Not because he had cheated.

But because even now...

He couldn't tell the truth.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Ella started the engine.

Daniel looked at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going home."

"We need to talk."

"We already did."

"Ella—"

"No."

Her voice was calm.

Terrifyingly calm.

"You talked."

"You laughed."

"You made your choice."

Daniel reached for her hand.

She pulled away before he could touch her.

"I love you."

The words hung between them.

Empty.

Meaningless.

She looked at him for a long moment before speaking.

"No."

He frowned.

"You love the version of me that trusted you."

His face fell.

"But that woman..."

She took a shaky breath.

"...stayed behind in that restaurant."

Daniel's eyes filled with regret.

"I can fix this."

Ella smiled sadly.

"Some things aren't meant to be fixed."

She looked through the windshield.

"Please get out."

He didn't move.

"Ella..."

"Get."

Out."

The firmness in her voice left no room for argument.

After a long silence, Daniel stepped out of the car.

Before closing the door, he whispered,

"I'm not giving up on us."

Ella didn't answer.

She drove away.

Her apartment felt colder than usual.

The silence greeted her before she even switched on the lights.

She leaned against the closed door and stared at the room.

Wedding magazines.

Guest lists.

Samples of invitation cards spread across the coffee table.

A white garment bag containing her wedding dress rested in the corner.

Just yesterday those things had represented hope.

Tonight...

They felt like evidence from a life that no longer existed.

Ella walked into the bedroom.

Daniel's toothbrush still sat beside hers.

His hoodie hung on the chair.

A framed photograph from the day he proposed smiled back at her.

She picked it up.

In the picture, Daniel was on one knee, holding out the ring.

She remembered crying that day.

Happy tears.

Now those memories felt like they belonged to someone else.

Without a word, she turned the frame face down.

Her phone buzzed.

Daniel Calling...

She ignored it.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Then her mother called.

Ella's thumb hovered over the screen.

She couldn't do it.

If she heard her mother's voice, she'd fall apart.

She silenced the phone and placed it on the table.

Minutes later, she opened the wardrobe.

One by one, she folded Daniel's clothes into a box.

Not out of anger.

But acceptance.

Every shirt she packed felt like another goodbye.

When she finished, she sat on the edge of the bed.

The apartment was empty.

So was she.

For the first time that night, the strength she'd held onto disappeared.

A sob escaped her lips.

Then another.

She covered her face with both hands as months of dreams, promises, and plans crashed around her.

The wedding.

The honeymoon.

The home they wanted to buy.

Children they had already named.

Gone.

She cried until there were no tears left.

The next morning, sunlight slipped through the curtains.

Ella barely remembered falling asleep.

Her eyes were swollen as she reached for her phone.

Dozens of missed calls.

Messages from friends.

Messages from Daniel.

One unread email caught her attention.

Subject: Congratulations! Your Admission Has Been Approved.

She blinked.

Months ago, she'd applied for a postgraduate program overseas, never imagining she'd actually leave if she got accepted.

At the time, Daniel had smiled and said,

"We'll decide after the wedding."

Now...

There was no wedding.

She opened the email slowly.

We are pleased to inform you that you have been offered admission...

She read it twice.

Then a third time.

A small smile appeared through her tears.

Not because she was happy.

Because for the first time since last night...

She could see a way forward.

She looked around the apartment one last time.

Then whispered to herself,

"Maybe this is exactly where my new life begins."