로그인Sebastian's POVSix months later, I heard news of Ayla again. That day, I had just finished a restoration project.The delicate famille rose porcelain bowl on my workbench had countless fine cracks. It took me a week to repair it, and I had finally finished smoothing out the last seam.Aunt Julia nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Give it a few more years, and you'll be stealing my business."I laughed as I packed up my tools. When I stepped out of the studio, I spotted Rosie waiting at the door. She held up an insulated food bag and waved it at me."Done for the day? I brought you dinner."I blinked in surprise. "What brings you here again?""Just happened to be passing by," she answered with complete confidence. "Besides, didn't you say you always forget to eat when you're working on restorations? Someone with a bad stomach has no excuse for skipping meals."She stuffed the insulated bag into my arms. "Come on, give it a try! I spent the whole afternoon making this potato and
Sebastian's POVAs I pushed the glass door, I walked straight into someone's arms."Oh, I'm sorry!" a young woman apologized, her face bright red."Hey, it's you," we said at the same time.That was Rosie Lane, the daughter of Aunt Julia's best friend. She was attending college here.A few days ago, we had dinner together. During our conversation, she mentioned wanting to buy a diamond pendant but was worried about getting scammed.Aunt Julia immediately volunteered me to help her. That was why I had gone out today. I was meeting her to look at pendants."You're here. Do you want to check out the stores with me now?"Rosie nodded eagerly, then hurried off to grab her coffee. Even the curls on top of her head bounced as she ran.As we walked side by side down the street, Ayla was still inside the cafe, watching us through the glass window. She must've asked herself, "How could we possibly be even? How could I possibly let you go?"But hadn't she brought all of this upon hersel
Sebastian's POVI thought I would never see Ayla ever again. But there she was, on a street in Rainford, running toward me after a month apart.She had lost weight, making her already sharp features look even more prominent. Her long, curly hair—usually perfectly neat—was now a mess. She looked exhausted from the journey.When Ayla saw me, she rushed forward, trying to throw her arms around me. I took two steps back and avoided her embrace.She froze, her hands left hanging in the air. Her gaze slowly lifted to my face, and her eyes grew misty with tears. "Seb, I've missed you so much."I frowned slightly. Seeing her again made me realize I had nothing more to say. I felt no resentment, least of all affection. I had let it all go, and all that remained was tranquility.I looked straight into her eyes without any hesitation. "We're over, Ayla."For a long time, Ayla simply stared at me in silence. "Can we talk? Please?"Her gaze was sincere. The conversation I had once begge
Sebastian's POVAunt Julia was waiting for me at the airport. When she saw my pale face and how thin I had become, tears filled her eyes. She pulled me into her arms and held me tight.For the first time in my life, I was no longer a child nobody wanted.Happiness, joy, exhaustion, and pain mingled in my tears. I let everything out, leaving nothing bottled up inside. Aunt Julia took several days off to spend time with me. When the weather was nice, we walked across the lawn together, like a mother and son.Slowly, the wounds in my heart began to heal.One day, Aunt Julia discovered the rumors Ayla had spread about me on social media. She was so furious she nearly crushed the pearl ring on her thumb."What kind of monster would treat you like this?"After mulling it over, I told her how Ayla had once saved my life. Aunt Julia fell silent for a long time, then let out a resigned sigh. "People change."After two weeks of rest, Aunt Julia began teaching me how to run her business
Third-Person POVAfter calming Johnny down, Ayla felt a strange unease brewing in her chest, as though her mind was alarming her that something was slipping away.When she hurried back to the hospital room where Sebastian was, she stopped dead in her tracks, her lips pale.A wave of helpless panic swept through Ayla. She kept reassuring herself that Sebastian had probably just gone to the bathroom.She forced herself to calm down and sat on the edge of the bed. Without thinking, she touched the bedsheet. It was ice-cold. Only then did she open WhatsApp, intending to message him.His profile picture had become the default grey avatar, and an "Invite" button now sat next to his name. That could only mean he'd deleted his account.Ayla finally realized what had happened. She frantically called Sebastian, only to hear, "Sorry. The number you have dialed is not in service."Her call history was filled with glaring red entries, the same as her call logs with Sebastian three days ago
Sebastian's POVAyla's expression finally cracked. "Fine. Since you're getting all brave, threatening me to back down with a breakup, I'll see—"I raised the bottle to my lips and started downing it before she could finish. The liquor burned its way down my throat and into my stomach. A searing pain ripped through me.Moments before I lost consciousness, all I could see was Ayla's face, growing larger and larger as it drained of color.…When I woke up again, two days had passed. Dark circles shadowed Ayla's eyes. She sat beside my hospital bed, clutching my hand."Seb, you're finally awake. I never thought you'd actually drink the whole bottle. Was your condition really that serious? I'm sorry. I…"Tears streamed down the face of the woman who had once brought me more happiness than I could ever describe—and more pain than I could bear. Yet looking at her now, I felt nothing.I raised my hand to stop her. The movement pulled at my muscles, sending a dull ache through my body







