Chapter 1
The Last Goodbye
Liana lay on her bed, staring at the dim glow of her phone screen. Her heart pounded as she opened their chat—Nil was online.
Her breath hitched. He was there. He could see her messages. He could reply.
But he didn’t.
Just like the last few days. Just like every missed call he saw but never answered. The double ticks on her messages taunted her—proof that he was reading them, choosing silence over closure. Tears welled up in her eyes. Why, Nil?She remembered the late-night talks when he would fight sleep just to listen to her ramble about silly things. How he used to say, "You’ll never lose me, Liana." But she had lost him. Not all at once, but piece by piece. First, the short replies. Then, the ignored messages. And now, this—his silence screaming louder than any words ever could.
And all because of her past. Because of *old* messages that meant nothing. He was her *present*, her *forever.* But he didn’t see it that way. He only saw what he *wanted* to see.
Her hands trembled as she typed her final message.
"I don’t know if you’re ignoring me or if you just don’t care anymore. But if this is your way of ending things, I understand. Just know—I never stopped loving you. You were my last love, Nil. After you, there’s no one else."**
She hit send. The blue ticks appeared instantly.
He had read it.
He was still online.
But no reply came.
A sob escaped her lips as she turned off her phone. She had been holding on to something that no longer existed.
This time, she didn’t wait. Because waiting for someone who had already left was the worst heartbreak of all.
