Don’t Walk Away
Elias stood frozen in the hallway, his breath shallow, his pulse thundering like war drums in his ears. Lila’s footsteps echoed against the wooden floor, each step pulling her further away from him. He felt the loss in real time, an invisible thread snapping between them. No. He couldn’t let this be the end. “Lila,” he called after her, his voice rough, desperate. She didn’t stop.
His stomach twisted. She was walking away, really walking away. And the worst part? He had no idea if she’d turn back. He lunged forward, closing the distance between them, his hand wrapping gently around her wrist. She stiffened but didn’t pull away immediately. That gave him a fraction of hope, just enough to make him press on. “Please,” he rasped. “Don’t do this.” She turned slowly, her honey-brown eyes filled with a storm of emotions. Hurt. Betrayal. Confusion. He had never hated himself more than he did in that moment. “Then tell me the truth,” she whispered. “Tell me what happened at that hotel.”
His grip tightened involuntarily. His throat felt like it was closing, his heart hammering against his ribs. The truth. It sat on the tip of his tongue, scorching hot, ready to spill. But if he said it…. if he let those words slip past his lips, he wasn’t sure if there’d be anything left of them after. “Lila…” His voice was barely audible. Her gaze hardened. “That’s what I thought.” She yanked her wrist free. The loss of contact felt like a physical blow.
He shook his head, stepping in front of her before she could leave. “Wait.” She crossed her arms. “For what? Another lie?” Elias felt his control slipping. The weight of his own mistakes was suffocating, but he couldn’t let this moment destroy them. Not when she was everything. “Lila, you have to believe me. It wasn’t” He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to meet her gaze head-on. “It wasn’t what it looks like.”
She let out a cold, hollow laugh. “That’s the thing, Elias. I don’t even know what it looks like. All I have are vague messages from a stranger and the fact that you won’t just tell me the damn truth.” Her words sliced through him. He ran a hand over his face. “It was a mistake,” he admitted, his voice raw. “A stupid, meaningless mistake.” Something inside her shattered at those words. He could see it. Her arms fell to her sides. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to speak, but no words came out. “You” She sucked in a breath. “You actually did something?”
Elias flinched. Regret was a living, breathing thing inside him. “It didn’t mean anything,” he tried to explain, but the words tasted like acid. Her expression twisted in pain. “I don’t care if it meant something or not. The fact that it happened” She swallowed hard, pressing a hand to her chest as if she was trying to keep herself together. “How could you?” Elias felt his world tilt. He stepped closer, his hands aching to touch her, to pull her back into him. “Lila, I love you. I never stopped.” She let out a shaky breath. “Love isn’t supposed to hurt like this, Elias.” His stomach dropped. “Don’t say that.”
She looked away, blinking rapidly, fighting against the emotions threatening to consume her. Silence stretched between them, thick with tension, filled with words left unsaid. Then, finally, she spoke. “I need to think,” she murmured. Panic surged through him. “Lila” “Don’t.” She held up a hand, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just let me breathe.” She turned and walked away, this time without him stopping her. And Elias could only stand there, watching the love of his life slip through his fingers..