The Ghosts We Text and Don’t send

On the drive back home, Myra’s mind refused to settle.

Why had she lied to Eda?

Why pretend everything was fine when her life was crumbling in silence?

Why had she spoken of him like they were still in love, still together, when the truth was far more complicated… and far more painful?

Her thoughts spun so wildly, she barely noticed her mom calling her name until the third time.

“Myra, beta,” Isabela said gently. “Are you lost somewhere?”

Myra blinked, startled out of her haze. “What?”

Her mom reached across the seat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear the way she used to when Myra was little. “Is something going on? You’ve been quiet. Your mom’s here, you know. You don’t have to pretend.”

There was a lump in Myra’s throat. For a split second, she considered telling her the truth. That her heart was still tangled in places she couldn’t explain. That guilt, regret, and longing had taken up permanent space in her chest.

But instead, she forced a laugh.

“Oh god, Mumma, nothing’s wrong,” she said, waving it off. “I was just… thinking of planning a party. I miss everyone so much. Especially my brothers—it’s been, what, four years?”

Isabela smiled instantly, her eyes softening. “That’s a lovely idea. It’s been too long. I haven’t seen my nephews in ages either.”

Myra smiled too, but her heart tightened. Her dad’s side had always been distant, strangers tied by blood. But her mom’s family? That was home. Her cousins weren’t just relatives—they were her safe space. Her brothers.

And maybe, just maybe, being surrounded by them would keep her from falling apart again.

—

The next morning bloomed quietly. A pale sun filtered through the curtains as Myra stirred awake. Still half-asleep, she reached for her phone on instinct and opened a familiar chat.

Idiot

The name hadn’t changed in eight years.

Her fingers moved on autopilot.

Good morning, sweetheart. How are you?

She stared at the words. Then, like every morning, she hovered over the send button.

And didn’t press it.

She locked the screen.

The message joined hundreds of others she never sent. Words she couldn’t say anymore. Not after what had happened.

Coming home had stirred everything up. Old memories weren’t just resurfacing—they were crashing into her like waves, unrelenting and loud. Every corner of this town whispered a moment she'd tried to forget. Especially him.

He would be there. At the reunion.

Was she ready to see him again?

After everything she did? The decisions she made? The pride she held onto until it cost her something she might never get back?

God, why hadn’t he stopped her? Why didn’t he fight harder? Or maybe… why didn’t she?

The questions buzzed in her mind all week. She buried herself in work, errands, fake distractions. But the storm inside her never quieted.

And then—just like that—the day arrived.

The reunion.

The one she had dreaded and secretly longed for.

The one that might just change everything.

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