The Road Back to You

Jade watched Violet break down in front of him, her tears falling faster than he could wipe them away. He had never seen her like this, so vulnerable, so shattered. And he hated that he had to be the one to tell her.

"He's leaving for the airport," Jade finally said, voice heavy. "He leaves tonight."

Violet's breath hitched. Her heart pounded so hard she felt it in her throat. "No… no, he can't leave. He can't do this!"

"Violet, listen—" Jade placed his hands on her shoulders. 

But she had already turned, running out of the office before he could say another word.

The night of Ethan's departure felt like a cruel joke, as if the universe itself was mourning what was about to happen. The storm had come out of nowhere, thunder roaring across the city as rain crashed against the pavement in relentless sheets. The night was merciless. The wind howled, rattling the city as if it, too, was grieving. Then came the rain. Heavy, violent, relentless. It drenched the streets within minutes, soaking Violet as she pushed through the storm, gasping for breath.

Violet's breath was ragged as she ran through the streets, her soaked clothes clinging to her skin. Jade's words echoed in her mind; Ethan was leaving tonight. He was going to London. He had already made up his mind.

She had to stop him.

Her shoes splashed through puddles as she ran, weaving through honking cars and the blur of city lights. She skidded to a stop in front of the address Jade had finally given her. Her chest heaved as she searched frantically, eyes darting across the near-empty street.

Then she saw him.

Ethan Sinclair stood beneath the dim glow of a streetlight, his dark coat drenched, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His eyes, dark and intense, met hers without a word. In that charged silence, the world around them ceased to exist, leaving only the raw, aching truth of what was unfolding. His gaze flickered toward her, then away, as if he couldn't bear to look at her for too long.

Ethan's expression twisted in pain, in longing, in something unspoken that had been building for too long.

Coward.

"You never listened," Violet said, her voice trembling as much from the cold as from the pain that had been building for months. "You never let me in... not really."

Ethan's jaw tensed, and for a moment, he looked as if he wanted to speak. But the storm swallowed his words, leaving only the sound of the rain.

"Say something, Ethan!" she snapped, her frustration cracking through the pain. "Anything. Yell at me, fight with me, just don't stand there like none of this matters! You don't get to make this decision alone! You don't get to leave me behind like I meant nothing to you!" she yelled, stepping back, her hands shaking.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he finally met her gaze. His eyes were filled with something raw. Something like regret.

When he finally did speak, it was with a quiet intensity that had once drawn her in:

"I did love you, Violet. I still do. But sometimes, loving someone means knowing when you're hurting them."

"Loving me means not breaking my heart, Ethan. I need to know that you're here with me... not somewhere else, somewhere safer," her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. 

"Don't walk away. Stay. Fix this. Fix us," the words tumbled out before she could stop them. 

But he couldn't meet her gaze. His shoulders slumped as he stepped back, the wet pavement glistening under the streetlamp's weak light. "I'm sorry, Vi," he whispered, the words lost in the roar of the rain. There was no dramatic exit, no grand farewell, just that moment of silence that cut deeper than any scream.

Ethan's fingers twitched at his sides. For a brief moment, she thought, hoped... he might reach for her. That he might take back everything and tell her he was staying.

But instead, he just stared at her, his face unreadable, his eyes holding a thousand emotions but not a single word. Before he left, he looked at her as if he was trying to memorize every detail of her face.

In that agonizing heartbeat, as the rain soaked through her clothes and mingled with her tears, Violet realized that nothing would ever be the same. Ethan turned away without one more word. Without a proper goodbye. Without a promise that he'd return.

The cold air sliced through her chest like a blade.

"Ethan—" she took a step forward. 

But he already left.

No goodbye. No explanation. Just the sound of his footsteps fading into the rain.

Violet stood frozen, watching Ethan disappearing into the dark maze of city streets, and with every step he took, he carried a part of her heart with him. In his wake, Violet was left with nothing but the echo of his absence and a memory of love that had turned to sorrow.

And just like that, Ethan Sinclair was gone.

The rain kept falling, and for the first time, Violet let it drown the tears she couldn't stop.

Standing alone under the stormy sky, as the rain continued its relentless descent, she couldn't help but wonder: was this the end of their story, or merely the beginning of the long road back to you?