The Goodbye

Chapter Four – The Goodbye

Elena’s POV

When I returned to the table, I tried my best to keep my head high and sit as though nothing had happened, even though my composure felt like it was quietly cracking from the inside and my eyes still burned from the tears I had refused to let fall in front of them, while my heart felt heavy as though it had been torn apart and stitched back together in a way that no longer made sense.

Daniel was sitting close to her, the woman he called his childhood friend, and he was smiling at something she whispered into his ear, that same effortless smile I had once believed was meant for me, the kind I had prayed for, waited for, and slowly learned to stop expecting from him.

The moment I sat down, his sister’s voice cut sharply through the atmosphere, loud enough for everyone to hear as she leaned back with a satisfied expression that made it clear she had been waiting for this moment.

“Oh, look at her face,” she said with obvious mockery. “Did you cry? Do you ever get tired of embarrassing yourself like this?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I forced my lips into a small, fragile smile even though my voice trembled when I spoke.

“I’m fine,” I whispered.

The woman beside Daniel let out a soft laugh, and almost immediately my mother-in-law’s expression brightened as though she had been waiting for that exact reaction all evening.

“What a graceful lady you are,” she said warmly, her tone almost affectionate. “So beautiful, so composed, Daniel truly deserves someone like you beside him, you both look absolutely perfect together.”

Perfect together.

Those words did not simply hurt; they sank deep into me, heavy and permanent, as though they were being carved into a place inside me that I could never erase no matter how much I tried.

My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress as I lowered my gaze, feeling myself shrink in a space where I had once believed I belonged, while silence pressed heavily around me like something I no longer had the strength to resist.

Daniel did not look at me even once.

His attention remained entirely on her as he leaned closer when she spoke, laughed softly at her words, and even poured her drink with a tenderness I had never once experienced from him, as though I had already become invisible while still sitting right in front of them.

My throat tightened painfully, and I realized I could not stay there any longer without breaking completely.

I needed air.

Slowly, I reached for my bag and stood up, and the scraping sound of my chair against the floor immediately drew attention from the table.

“Where are you going?” his sister asked, her voice dripping with amusement.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay steady.

“I… I need to use the restroom,” I said quietly.

My voice cracked slightly at the end, but I turned before anyone could respond and walked away quickly, my vision already blurring as I fought to hold myself together.

Each step felt heavier than the last, yet I kept moving, telling myself that I only needed a moment away from them, just enough time to breathe again and steady my emotions before I completely fell apart.

I turned toward the restroom hallway.

I hadn’t intended to listen. I truly hadn’t.

But then I heard voices, Daniel’s voice, and hers.

They were close enough that the quiet hallway carried every word clearly, and even though I told myself to keep walking, my body refused to move.

“What if she gets pregnant?” the woman asked softly.

There was a brief pause before Daniel answered, his tone calm and completely detached, as though the question itself carried no importance at all.

“Even if she somehow gets lucky and gets pregnant, I don’t want that child,” he said flatly, as though he were talking about something meaningless. “Not with her.”

My breath caught instantly, my fingers stiffening at my side as my entire body went still. The woman’s voice returned, quieter now, almost probing.

“She must be trying so hard… maybe she thinks a baby will make you notice her.”

Daniel exhaled slowly, as though the thought itself was unnecessary.

“There’s nothing to notice,” he said. “A child wouldn’t fix anything. It would only create problems I don’t want.”

A heavier silence followed, and then his voice came again, even colder than before.

“And I would never be interested in her that way. Not even a little.”

It felt like something breaking inside me.

Slowly., completely without mercy.

Because in that moment, everything I had ever held onto collapsed at once, every quiet hope I had buried inside myself falling apart in a way I could no longer deny.

The moment the last words left Daniel’s mouth, I felt something inside me go still in a way that was more frightening than pain itself, as though my entire body had finally stopped trying to protect me from what I had just heard.

I could not even tell how long I stood there, frozen in the same place, my hand pressed weakly against my chest as if that alone could keep me from falling apart, until I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

Before I could even turn fully, she appeared.

The woman.

Her expression had changed completely from earlier at the table, softer now, almost concerned, as though she had not just been part of destroying me seconds ago.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” she said gently, stepping closer with a calmness that felt rehearsed. “I honestly didn’t think Daniel would speak so harshly. He can be very emotional sometimes when he’s under pressure.”

Her hand reached out briefly, lightly touching my arm in a gesture that was almost comforting if I had not just heard the truth that had shattered me.

“But you know,” she continued, her voice lowering slightly as though she was sharing something kind, “maybe it’s just better this way. Some things are not meant to be forced.”

I looked at her then, really looked at her, and for the first time I noticed how carefully she chose her words, how every sentence sounded like comfort but landed like another quiet blow.

She was not apologizing, she was want me to break completely 

And somehow, that hurt almost as much as what I had just heard.

Because she stood there in front of me pretending to be kind, while everything about her presence screamed victory.

And I realized then that even her sympathy was not for me.

It was for herself, for being on the side he chose

And I could not breathe properly after that

My hand moved to my chest without thinking, my body suddenly feeling too heavy, too weak, as though it could no longer hold itself upright.

I tried to steady myself, but the world around me felt distant, muffled, wrong.

Something inside me shifted into discomfort I could no longer ignore, not just emotional but physical, a growing unease that made it difficult to stand still, and as the voices behind me continued in the distance, I realized I could no longer remain here.

I was not well.

And I needed to go to the hospital.