Chapter 95 No Closure
Mia’s POV
I left the house early that morning.
I did not want to risk riding with Liam, not when there was a chance he might come again and try to talk to me. I knew myself too well. If I saw his face, if I heard his voice, I would lose the little strength I had left.
I wanted to break up with him. I really did.
But I did not have the courage to say the words out loud.
So I chose the easier way. The crueler way.
Last night, I had made my message clear. I told him it was not a good idea for us to keep seeing each other. I pushed him away without ending things properly, hoping he would understand without forcing me to say goodbye.
Without breaking up with him, I could still hold on to a small, foolish hope. A hope that one day, somehow, everything would be okay between us again.
At school, I went to my usual seat at the back of the classroom. For the first time in a while, I was not alone. Daniel and Dina were already there, chatting quietly, saving a space for me. I smiled at them, genuinely grateful for their presence. It helped more than they knew.
But the moment class started, I felt it.
Liam was not there.
The empty seat where he usually sat felt heavier than it should have. I kept glancing at the door, half expecting him to walk in late, his hair slightly messy, his eyes searching for me like they always did.
He never came.
I tried my best to act normal. I buried myself in my books, underlined sentences that meant nothing, and filled my notebook with careless scribbles during breaks. I laughed when Dina joked and nodded when Daniel talked, but the truth was simple and painful.
I was not okay.
I felt miserable.
And I missed him.
When the final bell rang, Daniel turned to me, his expression gentle but concerned.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Is everything alright?”
I forced a small smile, but it did not reach my eyes.
“I can drive you to the restaurant if you want,” he added after a moment. “It seems like Liam has been really busy lately.”
I shook my head.
When I stayed silent, Daniel frowned slightly. “Are you and Liam still okay?”
I took a deep breath, my chest tightening.
“Dan,” I said quietly, “I lost my job because of Liam’s father.”
His face fell immediately.
“Oh, Mia,” he said, anger flashing in his eyes. “I am so sorry. I hate Liam’s father for doing this to you. To both of you.”
A weak laugh escaped me, more tired than amused.
“Yeah,” I said. “Me too.”
I stared at my hands, my voice dropping. “But no matter how much I hate him for being unreasonable and judgmental, in the end, he still wins, Dan.”
The words tasted bitter.
“And honestly,” I added, my throat tightening, “right now, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do.”
I hesitated, then finally said the truth.
“Liam came to the apartment last night,” I admitted. “But I drove him away. I told him to stay away from me.”
Daniel stayed quiet, listening.
“And now,” I whispered, my voice barely steady, “I want to take it all back.”
I looked away, blinking fast, realizing too late that pushing him away had not made the pain disappear. It had only made it lonelier.
“Hey, don’t worry,” Daniel said softly, leaning closer so only I could hear him. “Everything will be fine. Liam loves you, and he would do anything for you.”
I knew he was trying his best to make me feel better. Daniel always did that. He never pushed, never judged. He simply stayed, offering comfort even when he did not know how to fix what was broken.
“That is the problem, Dan,” I said quietly, staring down at my hands. “I don’t want Liam to suffer because of me.”
My voice trembled, but I forced myself to continue.
“And it’s better if I end things with him now,” I added. “Before I lose my scholarship. Before I lose my chance to graduate senior year and go to college.”
Saying it out loud made my chest tighten. Those dreams were the only things I had that belonged to me. The future I worked so hard for. The one thing Liam’s father could not take away if I made the right choice.
“Mia,” Daniel said gently, shaking his head. “Don’t do it if you’re only going to end up hurting yourself.”
I looked at him, my eyes burning. “I know I’ll feel the pain. I don’t even know if I can stop myself from completely breaking once I lose Liam.”
I took a deep breath, the words heavy and painful as they left my mouth.
“But I don’t have a choice. The only way to keep things from becoming more complicated is to break up with him.”
Daniel fell quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly.
“I’ll always be here for you, Mia,” he said. “Whatever decision you make, I’ll just be here.”
I smiled at him, grateful beyond words. “Thank you, Dan.”
That night, I barely slept.
I kept replaying every memory of Liam in my head. His smile. His laugh. The way he looked at me like I mattered. I practiced what I would say to him over and over, trying to make the words sound gentle, final, and kind all at once.
I told myself I would do it the next day.
I had to.
The next morning, I walked into class feeling heavy but determined. I was ready. Ready to face him. Ready to finally say goodbye properly, no matter how much it hurt.
Then I saw him.
Liam was there.
For a split second, my heart leaped painfully in my chest. Relief rushed through me before I could stop it. I straightened in my seat, my fingers tightening around my notebook. This was it. This was my chance.
But he never looked at me.
He walked past my row without slowing down and took the seat beside Stacy.
They started talking quietly. She leaned closer to him, her shoulder brushing his arm. He listened. He nodded. He smiled faintly at something she said.
I waited.
I told myself he would look back. He always did. He would feel my eyes on him the way I felt his. He would turn around, confused, searching for me.
He never did.
Throughout the class, he did not glance my way even once.
During the break, I stood slowly, my legs shaking as I gathered my things. I watched him from the corner of my eye, waiting for an opening. A moment. Anything.
But he stayed with Stacy.
They walked out together. They talked. They laughed softly. When she touched his arm, he did not pull away.
I followed them with my eyes until they disappeared down the hallway, my chest aching with every step they took away from me.
The rest of the day felt unreal.
In the cafeteria, he sat with her again. At lunch, they shared a table. In the hallway, he passed me like I was invisible. Like I had never existed in his life at all.
He had built a wall, and I was no longer allowed anywhere near it. By the end of the day, the truth settled heavily in my chest.
I never got the chance to break up with Liam. Because he stopped talking to me. He ignored me completely.
Days passed, and nothing changed. He stayed with Stacy most of the time. If he saw me in the hallway, he looked straight ahead. If our paths crossed, he walked past me without hesitation.
Every night, I told myself I should feel relieved. This was easier, wasn’t it? No painful conversation. No tears. No final words.
But the silence hurt more than any breakup ever could.
I had wanted to end things to protect him. To protect myself. Instead, I was left standing alone, watching him walk away without ever knowing how much it cost me to let him go.
Sometimes, endings do not come with closure. And sometimes, the hardest part is realizing that the goodbye you prepared so carefully never had a place to land.