Lilia’s POV

Damien had never loved me—not in the way a man should love the woman he’s building a life with. For years, I tried to convince myself otherwise. I told myself I wasn’t enough—that I was too reserved, too ordinary, too… not her.

But deep down, I knew it wasn’t about me.

It was always about Ayla.

Damien’s first love wasn’t just some woman from his past. She was his whole world, the one who vanished without a trace, leaving him hollow. And now, she was back.

She’d returned just as broken as when she left, with a scandal trailing behind her and no answers to the problems that drove her away. But Damien didn’t care. To him, she was still perfect, still untouchable, still the girl who’d captured his heart before I ever met him.

For years, I stood by him, waiting for the impossible. I thought if I just loved him enough, if I was patient enough, maybe—just maybe—he’d see me. But every time Ayla called, Damien dropped everything. He left me behind without a second thought, rushing to her side like a man chasing salvation.

I couldn’t do it anymore.

The airport buzzed with noise and movement, but I stood still, my hands gripping the handle of my suitcase as I waited for Damien to return. He’d left me there twenty minutes ago, promising to “sort something out,” but I knew better. Sorting things out always meant Ayla.

The sliding glass doors opened, and there he was—his sharp suit still immaculate despite the late hour, his tie loosened just enough to give him that effortless charm that made women turn their heads. But his expression was distant, preoccupied, as if I weren’t even there.

“Lila,” he said, walking up to me. His tone was clipped, like he was already bracing for a fight. “Let’s go. Our flight leaves soon.”

I didn’t move.

“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“What?” He frowned, glancing at his watch. “That phone call? It’s nothing. Just business.”

“Business,” I repeated, the word dripping with disbelief. “Business doesn’t make you look like you’ve seen a ghost, Damien. It’s Ayla, isn’t it?”

His body tensed, his jaw tightening. For a moment, I thought he might deny it, but then he let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “She’s in trouble, Lila. I can’t just ignore her.”

“You can’t ignore her,” I said, a bitter laugh escaping me. “Of course, you can’t. You never can.”

“She needs help,” he said sharply, his voice rising in defense. “I owe her that much.”

“No, you don’t,” I snapped, stepping closer. “You don’t owe her anything, Damien. She left you. She broke you. And yet, here you are, throwing your entire life away for her.”

“I’m not throwing my life away,” he argued, his tone hard. “I’m just—”

“You’re just what? Fixing her? Saving her?” My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “You’re always trying to save her, Damien. But what about me? Who’s going to save me?”

He flinched, the words hitting him like a physical blow. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he stayed silent, his gaze fixed on the floor.

“I’ve been standing here for years,” I continued, my voice trembling. “Waiting for you to see me. Hoping that one day, you’d stop chasing ghosts and realize what you have right in front of you. But you never do.”

“It’s not that simple, Lila,” he said, finally meeting my gaze.

“It is that simple!” I shot back, frustration bubbling over. “You love her. You’ve always loved her. And I’ve been nothing but a distraction, haven’t I?”

He took a step back, his hands clenching at his sides. “That’s not fair,” he said, his voice low.

“Fair?” I repeated, my voice rising. “What’s not fair is you keeping me here, pretending this is something it’s not. You can’t keep doing this to me, Damien. You can’t have both of us.”

His eyes darkened, a flash of anger crossing his face. “I never asked you to stay, Lila,” he said, his tone cold. “You chose this. You knew what you were getting into.”

The words hit like a slap, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stand tall, refusing to let him see how much it hurt.

“You’re right,” I said quietly, my voice shaking. “I did choose this. But that doesn’t mean I deserve to be treated like an afterthought.”

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. The hesitation in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.

“You have to decide, Damien,” I said, forcing the words out. “It’s me or her. You can’t have both.”

The silence between us stretched, heavy and suffocating. I searched his face for something—anything—that would tell me he was willing to fight for us. But all I saw was doubt.

That hesitation was my answer.

I picked up my suitcase and turned toward the boarding gate, each step feeling like I was dragging my heart behind me.

If Damien couldn’t choose me now, he never would.

Lilia’s POV

The plane was filled with the usual hum of engines and the soft murmur of passengers, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart. The tension between Damien and me was thick, suffocating like a fog that neither of us dared to break. He had no reply to my question, and now, sitting across from each other in the first-class cabin, the silence grew louder.

Damien kept his eyes on the window, his jaw set in that familiar tightness I had come to know so well. I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his mind—whether he was going to say something, anything, to make this situation better. But I knew better. Damien rarely opened up when it mattered most.

I stared at my lap, gripping the edge of the armrest. The weight of the past few weeks—the lies, the hurt, the betrayal—hung heavily on my chest. My fingers trembled slightly as I tried to steady my breathing. I wasn’t ready to talk. Not yet. Not until I could figure out how to untangle the mess that had become my life.

We didn’t exchange a single word during the flight. I didn’t even look at him again until the plane touched down. The city skyline greeted me through the window, but it didn’t feel like home anymore. Damien’s presence, the way he had always been my anchor, now felt like a distant memory, one I was struggling to hold on to.

When the plane finally landed, I collected my belongings in silence. Damien followed me off the jet bridge, the cold air of the airport hitting me as we walked through the terminal. My heart was racing, but not because of excitement—no, this was fear. Fear of what I was about to do.

I had made up my mind. I needed time away. Time away from Damien, from his world, from everything that had become so suffocating. I couldn’t keep living in this toxic cycle, pretending everything was fine when it was falling apart.

When we finally got home, I moved quickly. I didn’t bother to explain myself to him. Damien stood in the doorway of the living room, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and anger.

“I’m going to my parents’ house,” I said, my voice steady, but there was a sharpness to it. “I need some time off, Damien. I need to think.”

“Lilia, don’t do this,” he said, stepping into the room, his voice low and pleading. “We can talk. I can explain everything. Just don’t leave. Not like this.”

I shook my head, packing my things into a small suitcase. “No, Damien. I’m not doing this with you anymore. I can’t keep pretending everything’s fine when it’s not.”

His expression faltered, the usual control slipping as he took a step closer to me. “I don’t understand. You think that by leaving, it’s going to fix things? You think running away will solve all of this?”

I paused, my hands stilling for a moment before I zipped up my bag. “It’s not about fixing things anymore. It’s about me finding myself again. I’ve lost who I am in this mess with you.”

Damien’s face twisted in frustration, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. But I wasn’t going to let him sway me. I had made up my mind, and nothing was going to change it.

“I need time,” I repeated, my voice firmer this time. “I need to breathe. I’m leaving, Damien.”

The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating. Damien’s gaze softened, but there was nothing left to say. He opened his mouth, but the words never came. Instead, he watched as I turned and walked out of the apartment.

Dinner at my parents’ house felt like a welcome escape. The warmth of the familiar surroundings, the smell of my mother’s cooking, and the comforting chatter of my parents made me feel at peace for the first time in days.

“Lilia, it’s good to have you back,” my mother said, her eyes full of love as she served me a heaping plate of food. “You’ve been so busy lately. I hope you’ve come to stay for a while.”

I smiled softly, grateful for their unconditional love. “I’m staying for as long as I need, Mom. I’ve got a lot to think about.”

My father raised an eyebrow. “Everything alright? You’re not usually this quiet.”

I shrugged, pushing the food around on my plate. “Just… need some time to myself. That’s all.”

The doorbell rang just as we were finishing dinner, and I glanced up in surprise. Who could be visiting at this hour?

My mother’s eyes lit up as she walked toward the door. “Maybe it’s your husband, Damien?”

Damien. Of course. I hadn’t expected him to come here, but somehow, I wasn’t surprised. He always had a way of finding me, even when I didn’t want him to.

I stood from the table just as the door opened, and there he was—Damien, standing in the doorway.

Lilia’s POV

He was holding a bottle of expensive wine, a gesture that didn’t match the frustration in his eyes.

“Damien,” my father said, his voice neutral but welcoming. “What brings you here?”

Damien hesitated for a moment, then spoke, his voice rough. “I thought I should drop by. I wanted to talk. I… wanted to apologize.”

I felt my heart twist, but I didn’t let the emotion show. My parents exchanged glances, but they didn’t ask any questions. Instead, my mother motioned for him to come inside.

“Well, come in then,” she said cheerfully. “There’s always room for one more at the table.”

I stayed quiet as Damien entered, his eyes finding mine almost immediately. I could see the frustration, the hurt, and the confusion in his gaze. But none of it mattered anymore. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me into staying. Not this time.

I couldn't even bear to stay in the same room as he was. So I wished I could just leave them all here.

The evening passed in a blur of conversation that I barely registered. Damien stayed for dinner, but every word he spoke felt like a reminder of how much I had lost. How much we had both lost. He tried to talk to me several times, but I remained distant, my responses curt, my thoughts focused on the quiet space I had created for myself.

Dinner was winding down, but I could hardly stomach another bite. The conversation around the table felt distant, muffled by the storm brewing inside me. I couldn’t stay here, not with Damien’s presence lingering in the air, suffocating me. I needed space, needed air.

“I’m going outside for a bit,” I said abruptly, standing from the table.

My parents exchanged a glance, but they didn’t stop me. They knew me well enough to understand when I needed time alone. I didn’t even wait for them to say anything more. I just slipped out the back door, the cool night air hitting me like a slap to the face.

The garden was quiet, the only sound the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The tension of the last few days, the hurt, the lies—it was all crashing down on me.

But I didn’t get the peace I sought. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to find Damien walking toward me, his expression hard.

“Lilia,” he called softly, his voice strained. “We need to talk.”

I shook my head before he could say more. “No, Damien. I’m done talking. I can’t do this anymore.”

He reached for my arm, but I stepped back, putting distance between us. “You can’t just walk away. You can’t keep shutting me out like this.”

“I’m not shutting you out,” I replied, my voice cold, though my heart was pounding. “I’m just done. Done with trying to make something work that was never meant to work. You never touched me, Damien. You never really tried. You left me to fill the gaps with lies and silence, and for what? For your pride?”

Damien’s jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists. “I didn’t want to hurt you. But I’ve never been good at… expressing how I feel.”

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “That’s the problem, Damien. You never expressed anything. You kept everything locked away. And thankfully, we never had any children, ‘cause if we did, it would have been worse. Much worse.”

The words hung in the air between us, sharp and cutting. Damien’s face faltered, but he didn’t respond. There was nothing left to say.

I turned away, feeling the weight of the moment sink in. “I’ve left you, Damien. You can’t keep following me around, thinking you can fix this. It’s done.”

Without another word, I walked away from him, from the man I once thought I could love. I was going to head to his house with a cab, pick everything I could find and leave.