The city felt lonelier at night. Especially after the wedding she had attended. Too much laughter. Too much pretending. Too much dancing with versions of life she once imagined. Velma kicked off her heels on the door and collapsed on the couch, makeup smudged at the corner of her eyes. She hadn't cried, at least not really but somehow her lashes still felt heavy-like grief was sitting on them. She reached for her journal,it had been months since she had written something in her journal. Healing and survival had been important lately. She closed her journal when she was done writing andet her head fall back. The silence in her flat was too honest,no voice calling out her name like Daniel used to. Just the echo of what she never said. She has lived Daniel truly but back then,she didn't love herself enough to believe that someone did too. So when her life started spiraling,when the relationship with her ex became controlling,when the panic attacks,when she felt like she was drowning,she chose to disappear instead of explaining.
Now,four years after, he still looked at her like there was something worth salvaging. And the terrifying part? She felt something stir. Not the kind that begged for romance. But the kind that whispered "maybe you are finally ready to face what you ran away from". She signed"I wonder if he hates me ",she whispered to herself. But deep inside,she knew Daniel wasn't built for hate. And maybe -just maybe , that's what she feared the most.