Liam noticed. Of course, he did. He saw the way her eyes lingered on old photographs, how she never removed the bracelet Mark had given her, how her laughter never quite reached her eyes when they were together. He tried to be patient. He planned romantic getaways, filled their days with adventure, hoping to weave new memories that would outshine the old. But no matter what he did, he felt like a shadow in her life, a placeholder for someone who was already gone.
One evening, as they sat in their favorite seaside cafe, the gentle hum of waves in the background, Liam finally spoke the words he had been holding back for so long.
"Elara, do you even love me?" His voice was quiet, but the weight behind it was undeniable.
She looked up, startled. "Liam, of course, I - "
"No." He shook his head, a sad smile pulling at his lips. "Not like that. Not in the way that matters."
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Elara opened her mouth to speak but found that no words would come. She didn't know what to say. Because the truth was, she didn't know how to love him, not in the way he deserved.
The air between them grew thick with unspoken truths. Elara's hands trembled around her coffee cup. "I don't know how to let go," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how to stop missing him."
Liam exhaled slowly, his gaze softening. "I've tried, Elara. I've tried to be enough for you, but I can't compete with a ghost."
Tears pricked at her eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you have," he said gently. "And you're hurting yourself too."
The world around them continued as if nothing had changed - waves still kissed the shore, people still laughed at nearby tables, the scent of salt and coffee still mingled in the air. But for Elara and Liam, something shifted, something broke.
The drive home was silent. When they reached her apartment, Liam hesitated before speaking again. "I love you, Elara. But I don't think love should feel like this."
She watched as he walked away, and for the first time in a long time, she felt something stir inside her. A deep, aching loneliness that had nothing to do with Mark, and everything to do with the man she had just let slip through her fingers.