Chapter 4 – New Beginning
1335 Words
New Zealand was beautiful.
The air was cold, the streets were calm, and everything looked so different from the place I grew up in.
The buildings, the people, the language, even the silence felt unfamiliar.
But despite its beauty, I felt alone.
For the first few days, I kept checking my phone. I waited for August’s messages.
I waited for his calls. I waited for the reassurance he promised to give me.
At first, he was consistent.
Good morning, Love. I miss you.
Have you eaten?
Don’t overwork yourself.
I love you so much.
Those messages helped me survive the homesickness. They made me believe that maybe distance could help us heal.
Maybe being far from each other would make him realize my worth. Maybe love could still win.
But slowly, things changed.
His replies became shorter.
His calls became fewer.
Sometimes, he would say he was tired.
Sometimes, he had schoolwork.
Sometimes, he was with his friends. And every time he gave me a reason, I tried to understand.
Because that was what I always did.
I understood.
I adjusted.
I forgave.
I stayed.
While he became inconsistent, my life in New Zealand became busier. I met other students who were also taking the same path in the medical field.
Among them were Elizabeth Grace, whom we called Eli, Ruth, Joshua, and Joseph.
Eli was sweet but fierce when needed. Ruth was quiet, but she always noticed everything.
Joshua was loud and funny, the type who could make a whole room laugh even during stressful days. Joseph was calm and responsible, like an older brother to everyone.
They became my comfort in a place that once felt too foreign for me.
“Adie, you look like you haven’t slept again,” Eli said one morning while we were at the university cafeteria.
“I studied,” I replied.
Joshua laughed. “You always study. Do you even breathe?”
“I breathe while studying,” I answered.
They laughed, and for the first time in days, I laughed with them.
That was how I survived.
I studied. I laughed. I went to class. I called my parents. I messaged Nanny Tina. I waited for August.
But the waiting slowly became painful.
One night, after a long day of lectures, I was in my room reviewing my notes when my phone kept vibrating.
Girl Power’s Group Chat
Cha: Adie, are you awake?
Erin: Please reply.
Sab: Bestie, we need to tell you something.
Clau: I don’t know how to say this.
My chest tightened.
I already knew.
I didn’t know the details yet, but my heart already knew.
Adie: What happened?
For a few seconds, no one replied.
Then Clau sent a photo.
It was August.
He was at a bar again.
And beside him was a girl.
My hands started shaking.
Then Sab sent a video.
I didn’t want to open it.
But I did.
And there it was again.
The same betrayal.
The same pain.
The same mistake he promised he would never repeat.
He kissed another girl again.
I stared at my phone, unable to move. I felt like the whole room became smaller. I could hear my own breathing. I could hear my heartbeat.
But I could not feel anything.
No tears came out.
Maybe because I already cried too much the first time.
Maybe because a part of me expected this.
Maybe because my heart was finally tired.
Erin: Adie, please say something.
Cha: We’re sorry.
Sab: Bestie, I hate him so much.
Clau: EJ saw him. He got mad and punched August.
I closed my eyes.
EJ.
My cousin.
Of course, he would react that way. He had always been protective of me.
Adie: Where are they now?
Clau: At the precinct, I think. Azi is with him.
I immediately called EJ.
It rang only twice before he answered.
“Adie,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He became quiet.
“I should be asking you that.”
“I’m okay,” I lied. “Don’t waste your time there. Go home.”
“That bastard deserves more than one punch.”
“EJ,” I said firmly. “Please. Go home. I don’t want you getting into trouble because of him.”
“He hurt you again.”
“I know.”
My voice broke a little, but I quickly swallowed the pain.
“And this time, I’m done.”
There was silence on the other line.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered. “I’m sure.”
After ending the call, I stared at August’s contact name.
Love♥
How funny.
The person saved as Love was the same person who taught me how painful love could be.
A message from him appeared on my screen.
From: Love♥
Love, I’m sorry. I did it again. I was drunk. Please, let me explain. I don’t want to lose you.
I laughed quietly.
Not because it was funny.
But because I could not believe that I once gave my whole heart to someone who kept using the same excuse to break it.
My fingers moved on their own as I typed my reply.
To: August
You did not lose me today. You lost me the first time you chose to betray me. I only stayed because I loved you and because I believed that people could change.
But you proved to me that promises mean nothing when the person making them has no intention of keeping them.
I paused as my tears finally fell.
To: August
I loved you with everything I had. I defended you even when I was already hurting. I gave you a chance even when you did not deserve it. But I am done now. I am choosing myself this time.
We are over.
I sent the message before I could change my mind.
Seconds later, he called.
Calling… Love♥
I watched my phone ring.
Once.
Twice.
Again and again.
But I did not answer.
For the first time, I chose silence.
For the first time, I chose myself.
I changed his contact name from Love♥ to August.
Then I blocked his number.
And just like that, our almost three-year relationship ended through a message, in a small room in New Zealand, far away from the place where our love began.
Eli knocked on my door minutes later.
“Adie?” she called softly.
I opened the door, and the moment I saw her, I broke down.
She hugged me without asking anything.
Ruth arrived next, then Joshua and Joseph. They didn’t say much.
They just stayed with me and maybe that was what I needed. Not advice. Not questions. Just people who would stay while I tried to pick up the pieces of myself.
That night, I cried until I had no tears left.
And when morning came, I looked at myself in the mirror.
My eyes were swollen.
My face was pale.
But something inside me had changed.
The old Adie, the one who kept hoping, the one who kept forgiving, the one who believed that love was enough, was gone.
I was still broken.
But I was breathing.
I was still hurting.
But I was standing.
And from that day, I promised myself that no one would ever have the power to destroy me like that again.
I came to New Zealand to chase my dream.
I didn’t know that I would also come here to lose the person I loved.
But maybe losing him was the beginning of finding myself.
Maybe this was what I needed.
A new place.
A new life.
A new version of me.
A version of Adie who would no longer beg for love.
A version of Adie who would become stronger, braver, and colder.
Because from that day on, my heart started to turn into stone.
- Writer
