Cecily woke up alone.
Not in the dramatic way people talk about in books.
No sudden realization. No tears immediately.
Just the quietness of life.
The kind of quiet that settles deep into your chest and refuses to leave.
She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the city outside. Cars passing. Someone laughing far away. Life continuing like nothing had cracked open inside her.
Liam hadn't come home the night before.
She already knew that, but waking up and seeing the empty space beside her made it real again.
She turned to her side and hugged the pillow, even though it didn't smell like him anymore.
"This is my fault," she whispered to no one.
Her phone was on the bedside table. Face down. Silent.
She hadn't replied to Ethan's last message.
She hadn't reached out to Liam either.
For once, she didn't know what to say to either of them.
Cecily dragged herself out of bed and walked into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection and barely recognized herself.
Her eyes looked tired. Not sleepy tired. Emotionally tired.
"You're a mess," she muttered to herself.
She showered, dressed, and went through the motions of a normal morning, but everything felt slow. Heavy. Like she was moving underwater.
At work, she sat at her desk and stared at her screen.
Emails came in. She read them. Answered some. Ignored others.
Her mind wasn't there.
"Cecily?"
She looked up. It was her colleague, Nora.
"You've been staring at that screen for five minutes," Nora said gently. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Cecily replied automatically.
Nora raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
Cecily hesitated.
Then she sighed.
"No," she admitted. "But I will be."
Nora nodded like she understood more than Cecily said.
"If you need a break, take one," she said. "You don't have to be strong all the time."
Cecily swallowed. "Thank you."
She stepped outside during lunch and sat on a bench with a sandwich she barely touched.
Her phone buzzed.
Her heart jumped before she could stop it.
Liam.
She stared at the screen for a long moment before answering.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Hey," Liam replied.
His voice sounded calm. Too calm.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he said. "I stayed at a friend's place."
"Oh," she replied. "Okay."
There was a pause.
"I don't want this to turn into silence," Liam said. "Silence makes everything worse."
"I know," Cecily said softly.
"I just needed space," he continued. "To breathe. To think."
"I understand."
"Do you?" he asked gently.
She closed her eyes.
"I think I'm starting to," she said.
Another pause.
"I'll come by later," Liam said. "We should talk. Properly."
Her chest tightened.
"Yes," she replied. "I think we should."
They hung up.
Cecily stayed seated long after the call ended, her sandwich forgotten.
Across the city, Ethan sat alone in his apartment.
He had barely moved all morning.
His phone lay on the table, screen dark.
He replayed Cecily's last message in his head. The way she said No to the video call. The way she sounded exhausted.
"I shouldn't have said anything," he muttered.
He stood up and paced the room, running a hand through his hair.
"She's engaged," he reminded himself. "You knew that."
Still, it didn't erase the ache in his chest.
He opened the old folder on his laptop again. The one he shouldn't keep reopening.
Her email.
Her voicemail.
Proof that things hadn't ended the way he believed they had.
"I ruined everything," he said quietly.
His phone buzzed.
For a second, hope flared.
Then he saw the name.
His sister.
"You look terrible," she said when he answered.
"Thanks," Ethan replied dryly.
"I mean it," she said. "You sound like someone who hasn't slept in days."
"I haven't."
"Is this about her?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
"That's a yes," she said. "Ethan, be careful."
"I am being careful."
"No," she replied. "You're being emotional."
He sighed.
"She's engaged," he said. "I know what that means."
"Then why are you still holding on?" his sister asked.
"Because I never let go," he admitted.
Back at the apartment, Cecily sat across from Liam that evening.
They didn't touch.
That alone told her how serious this was.
"I don't want to fight," Liam said.
"I don't either," she replied.
"I just need to understand where I stand," he continued. "Because right now, I feel like I'm standing alone."
She looked down at her hands.
"That's not fair to you," she said.
"No," he agreed. "It's not."
She took a deep breath.
"I didn't plan for any of this," Cecily said. "Seeing Ethan again wasn't supposed to change anything."
"But it did," Liam said calmly.
"Yes," she admitted.
He nodded slowly.
"Do you still love him?" he asked.
The room felt still.
She opened her mouth.
Closed it.
"I don't know what love looks like anymore," she said finally. "I just know that something unfinished came back into my life."
"And what does that mean for us?" Liam asked.
Tears filled her eyes.
"It means I can't pretend everything is fine," she said. "And I can't lie to you."
Liam leaned back, rubbing his face.
"I appreciate the honesty," he said. "Even though it hurts."
"I'm sorry," Cecily whispered.
"I know," he replied. "But I need time too."
She nodded.
"I'll stay with my sister for a while," Liam said. "We don't have to make decisions today."
"Okay," she said softly.
When he stood to leave, she stood too.
"Liam," she called.
He turned.
"I never meant to break your heart."
He smiled sadly.
"I believe you," he said. "But sometimes hearts break anyway."
After he left, Cecily sat on the floor again.
Just like before.
Her phone buzzed.
She stared at it.
Ethan.
She didn't answer immediately.
Then she typed.
"I think everything is falling apart."
The reply came a few minutes later.
"I'm sorry. I never wanted to be the reason."
She swallowed.
"I don't think you are," she typed. "But you're part of it."
Another pause.
"Then maybe I should step back," Ethan replied.
Her chest tightened.
"Maybe," she typed. "But I don't want you to disappear again."
On the other side of the city, Ethan stared at his phone, heart pounding.
"I won't," he typed. "Not without saying goodbye this time."
Cecily closed her eyes.
Somewhere between past and present,
between love and guilt,
between what was safe and what still hurt…
she knew one thing.
Time hadn't erased anything.