Within You Or Without You Novels & Stories

I have told Roman the voices have stopped, so he won't get more worried about me. I consider going up to talk to Roman, but what if he doesn't want to talk? However, I'll take my chances. I got to the kitchen, filled a glass of water, and took the medicine. I got to the living room, turned off the TV, and headed to Roman's room. I need to apologize to him and say whatever I want to say, even if that means getting rejected. I can keep living like this. I knocked on Roman's door and waited for his response. I knocked again, but no one answered. Oh, fuck it. I decided to go in.

There was no anger and no heartbreak, just the quiet relief of something finally settling into place. I opened the chat with Nola and typed two words: [Perfect match.] Then, I held down the power button and turned my phone off completely. I pulled out the SIM card I had been using for years and dropped it into the trash. The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal speakers. I stood, took hold of my suitcase, and walked toward the security checkpoint. Outside, the world was loud with celebration, and in here, there was only the stillness of leaving alone. However, that was alright. From now on, my world belonged to no one but me.

My hands tremble, not from fear, but from realization. They are already changing. And they don’t even know it yet. I straighten, lifting my chin as I move toward the window. The war outside these walls is far from over. Enemies circle. Threats remain. But inside this palace, inside this bond, I am no longer powerless. Influence does not require commands. It only requires presence. And I am very present.

"Not everything in this world is black and white. You chose marriage and disappointed me in the process, but it doesn't mean you did wrong. It's just a decision you made in your life. It's not something we can dictate." Without affection, all decisions made in this world are selfish. No one path is absolutely or definitively right or wrong.

I was going to help rescue animals—creatures who couldn't cry out for help the way humans could. Maybe we'd been apart too long. Tony and I no longer belonged to the same world. "Tony," I said, "I've applied to join an animal protection branch of Doctors Without Borders. I might not come back." He looked stunned, his eyes flickering with both regret and longing. "I really am grateful for everything you've done," I continued. "But I think you can already feel it—we can't go back. We're like two lines that crossed once, only to move farther apart with every step."