PROLOGUE
There are times when we don't leave because we are no longer loved.
Sometimes, we leave because we are afraid to stay.
We choose to walk away not because we no longer want to be there, but because we believe it's what's best for the person we love the most.
That was me, too.
For my entire life, I never searched for love. I chose to live without expectations because I believed it was easier not to get hurt when you had nothing to hold on to.
Until she came into my life.
Someone I never expected would become the reason I wanted to believe in something I had spent so long avoiding.
She taught me how to love.
How to find happiness in the simplest things.
How to find a home in another person.
But the more I loved her, the more afraid I became.
I was afraid of a world that wasn't always ready to accept a love like ours.
I was afraid of the things I couldn't control.
I was afraid that one day, instead of being her peace, I would become the reason for her pain.
So I chose to let go.
I thought that if I disappeared, life would be easier for her.
I thought leaving was the only way to protect her.
But there are decisions we make out of fear that, in the end, become the hardest ones to forgive ourselves for.
Because the truth is...
Not every goodbye means love has come to an end.
Sometimes, leaving only reminds us how deeply we love someone.
And one year after I let go of her hand...
One question still remains unanswered.
If I were given another chance...
Would I still choose to disappear?
Or would I finally choose to fight for her?
