The tears that had been gathering finally broke free, and Mia let them fall without shame. She had spent so long fighting against the tide, trying to hold on to something that wasn't hers to keep, but now, as Ethan held her hands, she knew she was ready to let go.
"I choose you, Ethan," she whispered, the words slipping from her lips with a sense of finality, like the closing of a chapter. "I choose the person who's been here with me, through all of it. I choose the love that's real, the love that's steady and sure."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them. Mia's heart raced, but there was also a sense of calm, a deep sense of knowing that she had done the right thing. Ethan's eyes shone with unshed tears, but his smile was genuine, full of warmth and relief.
"I've never wanted anything more, Mia," he said, his voice full of emotion.
And then, without another word, they stepped into each other's arms. They held each other tightly, as if the world around them had ceased to exist. The past wasn't gone—it never would be—but in this moment, Mia knew that she had made the right choice. She had chosen the love that was grounded in the present, the love that she could trust to carry her forward.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the evening sky darkening around them, Mia realized that it wasn't the love that had burned brightest that mattered—it was the love that had endured, the love that was steady, that was real. And she had found it, standing right in front of her.
The morning after Mia made her decision was the quietest moment of her life. It felt as
though the air around her was still, holding its breath in anticipation. She hadn't slept well—her mind had been too occupied with the events of the past days, of the conversations and decisions that had shaped her world. But there was no turning back now. What had been lingering in her heart for so long was no longer a question. She had made her choice. Ethan was the one she wanted to build a future with, and it was time to move forward.
But there was one more thing she had to do—one last conversation she couldn't avoid. Mia had to face Luca. The weight of that thought hung over her as she sat in the quiet of her apartment, gazing out the window at the world that seemed so far away, so distant from the turmoil within her. She had spent years clinging to the memory of what she and Luca had shared, to the dream of something that could never be again. But dreams, as they say, were fragile things. And Mia had finally realized that holding on to the past was only hurting her. It wasn't fair to her, and it wasn't fair to Ethan, who had patiently waited for her to come to this realization.
Her hands shook slightly as she prepared to leave. She knew it wasn't going to be easy. Luca had always held a special place in her heart, even though she had tried to push that part of her away for so long. He had been her first love—the one who had ignited a fire in her soul, the one who had made her feel something that had been both exhilarating and terrifying. But that had been the past. And it was time to let it go.
Mia had to face him. And she had to be honest.