I convinced myself that if I just ignored it all, I could keep up the illusion. I could pretend to be fine.
Until that night.
The night she passed away.
Lying there, so frail and fragile, my mom's tear-filled eyes looked at me with a kind of resignation.
“Elise… it’s all my fault… I just wanted you to be happy… If you’re hurting, sweetheart… then let go…”
And for the first time in five years, I finally did.
Elise’s POV
My mom’s last wish had changed. It wasn’t just about having one last family dinner anymore.
She wanted me to find happiness.
Her frail voice echoed in my mind, each word heavier than the last. My throat constricted, and my eyes blurred with tears that wouldn’t stop coming.
When I finally spoke, my voice trembled and cracked with emotion. “Hayes, you can’t give me the happiness I want anymore, can you?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he let out a slow, deep sigh.
“Elise… we’re in our late twenties now. It’s time we grew up. Whether we love each other or not… it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
There it was.
He didn’t need to say it directly.
I knew exactly what he meant.
He didn’t love me anymore.