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.

Lilia’s POV

“You don’t mean that,” Damien’s voice cracked, a rare tremor in his usually composed demeanor. “Lilia, we don’t have to do this.”

I turned to face him, meeting his gaze with unwavering resolve. “Yes, Damien. We do.” My voice was steady, but my heart was breaking. “Let’s end this while there’s still a shred of dignity left. You’ll be free to pursue what you really want.”

His expression darkened—confusion, regret, maybe even anger flickering across his face. But he didn’t deny it. We both knew the truth: he had always been distant, always somewhere else, even when he was right beside me.

“You’re imagining things,” he said, his voice low and restrained. “There’s nothing—no one else.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t insult me, Damien. This isn’t just about another woman; it’s about us. Or rather, the lack of us. We’ve been nothing more than strangers playing house.”

His jaw tightened, his silence confirming what I already knew. I forced myself to stay calm, though my chest burned with unspoken words.

“I’m leaving, Damien,” I said firmly. “For your sake and mine.”

“For my sake?” His tone was sharp now, his calm façade slipping. “You’re walking away from everything we’ve built, and you think that’s what I need?”

I folded my arms, refusing to let his words pierce through my resolve. “What have we built, Damien? A marriage where you avoid me at every turn? A partnership in name only? Tell me, what am I walking away from?”

His lips parted, but no words came out. For a moment, he seemed genuinely at a loss. Then, his face hardened. “Fine,” he said finally. “If that’s what you want. I won’t stop you. But you still slept your things, so there's a chan..”

“I'm heading to pick them right now,” I cut him short.

“You serious?”

I nodded, biting back the tears threatening to spill. I turned and stepped into the street, flagging down a passing cab.

“Aren’t you going to come back in my car?” Damien called after me. His voice was sharp.

I didn’t answer. I slid into the backseat and gave the driver directions to my house, where my suitcase waited.

The ride was quiet except for the hum of the engine. I couldn’t bring myself to look back, but a part of me could tell he was following us behind. My thoughts raced as I stared out the window, the city lights blurring into streaks of gold and white.

When I got home, I moved quickly. I packed my clothes with purpose, not allowing myself time to linger on memories that clung to every corner of the house. By the time I zipped up the last bag, my resolve was steel.

I was turning off the lights when I heard the knock. My heart sank, already knowing who it was.

Damien stood on the doorstep, his shirt unbuttoned and his tie askew, as if he’d left in a hurry. A bottle of wine dangled from his hand, glinting in the soft glow of the porch light.

“I'm almost leaving” I blurted, my voice sharp.

“You could spend the night, you know,”

“And do what? Why?”

“We’re still married,” he said, leaning casually against the doorframe. His tone was almost playful, but the tension in his posture betrayed him. “I thought we could have a drink. Like old times.”

I stared at him, incredulous. “Old times? Damien, there are no old times worth revisiting.”

He stepped closer, the smell of expensive cologne mingling with the faint aroma of wine. “I’m serious, Lilia. You’re always saying I’m distant. Tonight, I’m here. I’m trying.” His hand reached out to brush my arm.

I pulled away sharply, anger flaring in my chest. “Trying? Now? After years of being ignored? After you made me feel like I didn’t exist in this house?”

Damien’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t move back. “I never ignored you. I’ve been under pressure, trying to build something for us. For you.”

“No, Damien.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “You built something for yourself and left me in the rubble.”

“Hold on, Lilia,” he held my hands, almost hurting me.

“Let me go, now or…”

“Or you'll do what?”

His face fell, the weight of my words hitting him squarely. For the first time, he looked vulnerable, almost lost.

But I couldn’t afford to care anymore. I stepped back, clutching my suitcase. “This is goodbye, Damien.”

And before he could say another word, I closed the door between us.