Chapter 141 I Waited
Mia's POV
"Hey, are you okay?" Josh asked softly after Liam left with Stacy and his parents. I couldn't answer right away.
I just stood there, frozen, staring at the empty space where he had been, like my body hadn't caught up with what just happened. My chest felt tight, like something inside me had been crushed. I had never felt that kind of humiliation before. Not like that. Not in front of everyone.
But a part of me kept holding on. A small, stubborn part that refused to believe it was real. It was just for show, right? Liam was just acting. He had to be. So I forced a smile, even if it felt wrong on my face.
"I'm fine," I said, even though my voice sounded weaker than I wanted. "Everything will be fine later. We'll be together again. I just... I didn't expect Liam to be such a good actor."
Josh let out a breath, shaking his head.
"Yeah... he was," he said. "Honestly, I believed everything he said. For a second, I forgot it was all part of your plan." His jaw tightened. "I really wanted to punch his pretty face again. But since you told me about your agreement, I had to control myself."
I gave him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you, all of you for being here." I said as I looked at Daniel and Dina, who were still standing beside us, both wearing expressions of relief mixed with concern. I had no choice but to tell them everything earlier. At first, they thought what happened was real, especially since only Josh knew about Liam and me before.
Now, at least, they understood. Daniel crossed his arms, still looking a little uneasy.
"You should come with us," he said. "Let's just go to my place and celebrate. You don't need to deal with him right now."
For a moment, I was tempted. To forget everything and pretend none of it happened. To laugh with them and enjoy the moment. But I shook my head.
"I can't," I said quietly. "I need to see Liam."
Because no matter how much I tried to convince myself that everything was part of the plan, there was still a part of me that needed to hear it from him.
That needed to know if it was really just an act or if, somehow, there was truth behind every word he said.
And that was the part that scared me the most.
"Are you sure you still want to go to your meeting place, Mia? I don't feel good about this," Josh said as he watched me gather my things and zip up my bag.
I paused for a second, my hands tightening around the strap, but I forced myself to stay steady.
"Josh, I told you... I'll be okay," I said, trying to sound more confident than I actually felt. "I need to go now."
He studied my face carefully, like he was trying to read everything I wasn't saying.
"Did he text you?" he asked. I shook my head.
"No... not yet. He's probably busy preparing too," I replied, avoiding his eyes for a moment. "Besides, Liam told me to be there no matter what happens."
Even as I said it, something in my chest twisted.
Why hasn't he messaged me? But I pushed the thought away.
"He'll be there," I added quickly, more to convince myself than Josh.
There was a brief silence before Josh let out a sigh.
"Okay... then let's go," he said, already reaching for my luggage.
"Josh, you don't have to drive me," I said, following him toward the door. "I can just take a taxi."
He stopped and looked back at me, his expression firm.
"There is no way I'm letting you go there alone without even knowing if your boyfriend is actually going to show up," he said. I couldn't help but laugh a little, even if my heart felt heavy.
"Liam will be there, Josh. I'm sure of it," I said.
But this time, the words felt weaker. Like even I didn't fully believe them. Josh didn't argue. He just softened, his voice gentler now.
"Even so... I want to be there for you, Mia. I just need to make sure you'll be okay."
Something in my chest warmed. Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Josh," I whispered. "I don't know what I did to deserve a best friend like you."
He chuckled softly. “If you were only straight, I swear I would fall in love with you," I added, trying to lighten the mood. He laughed, shaking his head.
"If I were straight, I'd probably be heartbroken right now," he said. "Because no matter what I do, you'd never choose me over Liam." I slowly pulled away, my smile fading.
"He always wins." His words lingered in the air.
And for the first time, I didn't know if that was something I should feel happy about or afraid of.
I arrived one hour before the time Liam and I agreed to meet. The sky was already dark, the dim lights of the terminal casting long shadows on the pavement. The night felt quiet... too quiet. Every sound echoed louder than it should, every passing person made my heart jump.
I kept looking at the entrance, my eyes refusing to look anywhere else. I stayed rooted in the same spot, as if moving even a little would make me miss him when he finally arrived. I told myself over and over that he would come. That he just needed a little more time. That there had to be a reason.
Maybe something important came up, and that was why he couldn’t make it on time. I held on to that thought, repeating it over and over in my head, as if saying it enough times would make it true. As if it could make the waiting easier. But as the minutes stretched on, the truth I was trying so hard to ignore slowly began to sink in.
I hated the thought that Josh might be right. I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to accept that I was standing there, waiting for someone who might never come. But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself, doubt kept creeping in, whispering things I refused to hear.
Every time I heard footsteps, my heart would leap with hope, only to fall just as quickly when it wasn’t him. Over and over, it happened the same way, until the hope itself started to hurt more than the waiting.
One hour passed. Then another. And Liam never came.
"Mia..." Josh's voice broke through the silence. He stood beside me with his hands in his pockets, watching me carefully, like he was trying to figure out how much more I could take. "We've been waiting for hours." I didn't look at him. I couldn't. If I did, I might lose the little strength I had left.
"I don't think he's just late," he continued, his voice softer now, almost cautious. "I think... he's not coming."
My fingers tightened around my bag, gripping it like it was the only thing keeping me steady.
"He will," I whispered, my eyes still fixed ahead. My voice was quiet, but I forced the words out anyway. "I'll wait."
Josh let out a frustrated breath, the sound sharp in the quiet night.
"Mia, it's already late," he said, his tone rising despite himself. "Liam is with Stacy right now. People saw them. They left together. And you're still here... waiting for someone who didn't even think about you."
His words hurt. I felt them. Every single one of them.
But not enough to make me leave.
"Josh... thank you," I said softly, forcing myself to stay calm even as something inside me trembled. "But I'll wait."
He stared at me like he didn't know what else to do, like he was watching someone walk straight into pain and couldn't stop it.
"You're unbelievable," he muttered under his breath before shaking his head. "Fine."
He turned away, clearly upset, his shoulders tense.
"I'll be in the car." And just like that, I was alone.
The night deepened around me, the air growing colder as time passed. I wrapped my arms around myself, but it didn't help. The chill wasn't just from the night anymore. It was coming from somewhere deeper.
Still, I didn't move. I stayed in the same spot, waiting.
Time passed slowly, painfully, each second dragging like it didn't want to move forward. The terminal lights flickered above me, casting uneven shadows, while the crowd gradually disappeared until almost no one was left.
But I stayed. Because leaving would mean accepting the truth. And I wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
Hours passed without me noticing how tired I had become. The darkness stretched into early morning, then into daylight, and before I even realized it, night had fallen again.
And I was still there waiting. Twenty-four hours.
That was how long I stood there, holding onto something that no longer existed. Waiting for someone who never planned to come.
When Josh finally returned, something in his expression had changed. There was no more frustration in his eyes, no more attempts to argue with me. What replaced it was something quieter, heavier. Understanding and anger on my behalf.
He walked toward me without saying anything at first, then gently took my arm.
"Mia," he said softly, his voice firm but careful, "that's enough."
This time, I didn't resist. I didn't have the strength left to. He guided me to the car and helped me inside, like I might collapse if he let go. I didn't say anything. I just sat there, staring blankly ahead, feeling empty. I thought he would take me home. But he didn't. Instead, he drove to the port.
My heart began to pound again, but this time it wasn't hope filling my chest. It was fear. When the car stopped, I slowly lifted my gaze and saw the yachts lined up along the dark water, their lights reflecting against the surface like nothing was wrong.
Josh parked in front of a familiar one. Liam's favorite.
"I need you to see it," Josh said quietly. "So you'll finally stop hurting yourself like this."
My hands trembled as I slowly looked up. And then I saw them. Under the soft glow of the yacht lights, Liam stood there with Stacy, laughing like the world belonged to them. His arm was around her, pulling her close, and then he leaned down and kissed her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Like I never existed. Something inside me broke painfully, like a part of me simply gave up. Still, my body moved before I could stop it.
I opened the car door.
"Mia, wait—!" Josh called after me.
But I was already running.