The man stared intently at her, but the light in his eyes was gone. There was no more love, no more longing. Instead, Darius's gaze was full of resentment and emotion—feelings Gel couldn't even name.
She thought he would just pass by. She thought she could breathe normally. But before she could even move, he grabbed her wrist tightly and dragged her into a dark alley. Everything happened so fast she almost stumbled. When Darius finally let her go, it was as if he had touched fire—he pulled back immediately, but the fire in his eyes remained.
She never expected to see him again.
Not now.
Not like this.
Gel stood frozen in place, like a statue rooted to the ground. Her chest tightened, her throat went dry—she could do nothing but stare at the ghost from her past. She never thought she'd ever see the man who once meant the world to her, the man she loved with everything she had, and the memory of a life she could never return to.
"Why?" Darius burst out angrily. "Of all the women in the world—why you?! Why you?!"
Every word felt like a dagger piercing her heart, stripping away every bit of courage she had built over the years. She couldn't answer. She couldn't explain.
"Why did you just disappear?" Darius continued, his voice full of pain. "Why didn't you tell me what was wrong back then? Was I that worthless to you? Did you even really love me, Gel?"
Each question was like a hammer striking her chest, breaking her down piece by piece. She wanted to scream her answers, explain everything, but the words remained trapped in her mind.
"If only you knew… If only I had a choice back then, I wouldn't have left you. I loved you so much. But I had to choose them... my family."
"Do you know I looked for you?" Darius said, his voice quieter now but tinged with desperation. "With your family, I searched every hospital, every street, every place you could've gone. I spent countless nights waiting outside your house, hoping you'd come back. But nothing! Even your condo had a new owner. Your company—sold! That's when I realized... you were really gone. You didn't want to be found."
Gel shut her eyes, trying to stop the tears she could no longer hold back. She knew there were no words that could change what had happened. It was over. There was no going back.
Suddenly, he grabbed her by the shoulders. She gasped. It was rough, full of force—but not enough to hurt her. Just enough to let her feel how deeply he was hurting.
"You hurt me, Gel," he whispered bitterly. "And not just me... even your best friend. I thought you'd never leave her too. But you did. You left all of us without a word. Were we that worthless to you? Was I that easy to forget? Answer me!"
Her body trembled. She wanted to explain everything, but what was there to say? No explanation would change Darius's pain. Or theirs.
The fury in his eyes deepened. Still holding her shoulders, he pulled her closer and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
She smelled the alcohol on his breath.
"A-Are you drunk?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Are you yelling at me because you're drunk or... or is this who you are now? I don't know you anymore."
Darius gave a bitter smile, full of sorrow. "You really don't know me. And you never should again."
She looked at him—at the man who once meant everything to her. The man whose eyes once overflowed with love. Now, all she could see was rage, pain, and hatred.
Darius clenched his fist. "You made a fool of me!" he shouted.
With that, he punched the wall right beside Gel's head. She flinched, her heart pounding as she instinctively closed her eyes.
Despite all the pain, what broke Gel even more was seeing something worse than any words—the same eyes that once promised forever now burned with fury. The same lips that once whispered sweet promises now spoke only blame and bitterness.
She swallowed hard, trying to hold onto the last shred of her dignity. There was nothing left to do but accept it all. Because no matter what she said, it wouldn't change the truth—their world was long gone.
Gel closed her eyes.
And in a flash, memories of their last night together came flooding in.
His joyful voice planning their future…
His embrace that she once never wanted to let go of…
The warmth of his kiss filled with promises of forever…
But no matter how tender Darius had been, the voice of fear in her chest had been louder.
What if she had chosen to stay?
What if she never saw or held her family again?
What if their child hadn't been lost?
But that's not what happened. And maybe that was for the best. She had to choose her family. Because had she stayed, the pain, the regret—it might have been worse.
And between love and obligation, she chose to leave. She chose silence.
She never meant to hurt him… but she knew he would be hurt anyway.
And now, here she was—facing the consequences of all those choices.
And even after all these years, she still couldn't forgive herself.
It felt like the air had left her lungs. Like she was lost in the dark again.
And in the middle of it all, she knew one thing for sure—Darius would never be the same again.
And she? She was the reason why.
Because sometimes, there are things you can never fix.
And sometimes, yesterday is just a memory you need to let go of—especially now that Darius had a new life, someone new to love, and she… she had Clark.