last goodbye

Two days passed before Zhao Meiling heard from him.

Two days of sleepless nights, unanswered calls, and messages left on read.

Two days of staring at headlines speculating about their “sudden split.”

Two days of convincing herself that the man she loved would come back and explain everything.

And then, just as she was about to give up hope, her phone rang.

“Come to the Li villa,” Li Yuren’s voice said, quiet and tired. “We need to talk.”

Her heart leapt — we need to talk — maybe it meant he regretted everything, maybe it meant they could fix this.maybe it meant what uncle, auntie said was a prank.

She arrived before sunset. The sky was heavy with clouds again, as if even the weather hadn’t moved on since that rainy morning.

Yuren was waiting on the balcony, dressed simply in a white shirt and dark trousers. Even now, with dark circles beneath his eyes and his frame thinner than she remembered, he was devastatingly handsome — like a painting carved by time and sorrow.

“Yuren,” she breathed, running toward him.

But he didn’t open his arms. He just stood there, watching her approach with a softness that hurt more than cruelty ever could.

“Why?” she asked, her voice trembling. “Why are they saying these things? Why did your parents—”

“Meiling,” he interrupted gently. “I’m sorry.”

She froze. “No. Don’t say that.”

“I’m breaking up with you.”

Her breath caught. “Stop joking.”

“I’m not joking.”

“No.” She shook her head violently. “No, I don’t accept that. You love me. You said you loved me. We were supposed to get married, Yuren. We—”

“I’m getting married,” he said, his voice barely a whisper, but the words crashed like thunder.

She stared at him. “What?”

“My family chose someone,” he continued, each word as if carved out of his throat. “It’s decided. I’m going to marry them.”

“You’re lying,” she said. “You’re lying to make me leave.”

“I’m telling the truth.”

Her heart splintered. “Who is she?”

“…It doesn’t matter.”

“Who is she?!” she screamed, her voice breaking. “What does she have that I don’t? Why her? Why not me?”

He didn’t answer. He just looked at her — with sadness, with love, with unbearable regret — and in that silence, she saw the truth.

“It’s not you, is it?” she whispered. “This isn’t your decision.”

Still, he said nothing.

Tears blurred her vision. “Why won’t you fight for us?”

“Because…” His voice finally cracked. “…because I want you to live happily. Even if I’m not there. I am not the right person for u ”

Her sob escaped before she could stop it. “I can’t be happy without you.”

“Yes, you can.” His smile was gentle, almost fond. “You’re stronger than you think.”

“I hate you,” she whispered, even as she reached for him. “I hate you for doing this.”

“I know.”

When she left, the night had already fallen.

She walked until her legs gave out, until the streetlights blurred into stars, until the world stopped spinning.

She didn’t see him sink to his knees on that balcony as soon as the door closed.

Didn’t hear his ragged breathing as he clutched his chest, the sharp pain spreading deeper than ever before.

Didn’t hear the words he whispered into the empty night:

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

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