HER "ROMANCE IN THE LAB"

AFTER SIX MONTH: "THE GRADUATION"

Six months since she had taken her first real step into freedom, letting the chains fall and walking away from the tunnel, from the storm, from Mike.

Six months since she had chosen herself, claimed her life, and survived a world without anyone controlling her.

Now, standing on the stage of her university auditorium, a crisp black gown draping her shoulders, a gold tassel swaying lightly as the applause washed over her, Maxine felt… empty.

It should have been pure triumph. The culmination of years of struggle, sleepless nights, endless exams, long shifts as a working student nurse. She had done it. She had graduated. She had earned every accolade, every whispered praise from professors who once doubted her, every proud glance from Alden, who had been her anchor through it all.

And yet…

There was a hollow ache deep in her chest, a longing she had not anticipated. She had imagined this day as a celebration, a moment of pure joy, but now, dressed in the official colors of her success, she realized she missed something, or someone... but she hadn’t allowed herself to name it.

The applause faded, the speeches ended, and students filed out, throwing caps into the air and hugging family members. Alden was at her side, grinning, his hand brushing hers in quiet solidarity. He leaned close.

“Max… you did it,” he said softly. “You really did it.”

She smiled, but it felt fragile. “Yeah… I did,” she whispered, though the words lacked the weight of truth in her heart.

As they walked through the packed hallway, the noise of the celebration buzzing around them, Maxine felt a sudden, almost involuntary pang. Her pulse quickened, and she froze mid-step.

“I… need some air,” she muttered, breaking free of Alden’s protective hand.

He frowned. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, forcing a small, convincing smile. “I just… need a minute.”

Outside, the sun was dipping low, casting golden streaks across the university’s courtyard. Students were laughing, tossing graduation caps into the sky. The air was warm, alive with the scent of freedom, of opportunity, of beginnings.

And yet… it wasn’t enough.

Maxine took a deep breath, and the hollow ache pressed deeper. She realized why.

She missed him. Mike.

The man she had once believed she needed to obey, to fear, to serve, to survive. The man who had held the power to break he, or save her. The man she had run from, yet somehow could not forget.

Her chest tightened. She hadn’t expected this. She had imagined freedom would erase all memory of him, all temptation, all ache. But it hadn’t. It had only sharpened it.

Maxine closed her eyes, letting herself remember the sound of his voice. Commanding, but not cruel. Every word he had ever spoken to her was etched in her mind, replaying like a memory she hadn’t wanted to own.

Her heart ached with a yearning she hadn’t allowed herself to name. She missed his training, the way he had pushed her to her limits, the way he had challenged her to fight, to survive, to think. She missed the way he had believed in her when no one else had. The way he had seen her, completely, and demanded she see herself the same way.

And she wanted to hear his voice again. Just once. Privately. Just to feel that presence again, to know it was real, to remember who she had been, and who she had become.

“Max?” Alden’s voice broke through her thoughts. He had followed her to the courtyard. “Are you… thinking about him?”

She exhaled slowly, meeting Alden’s gaze. There was no shame in admitting it, he already knew. Somehow, he always knew. “I… I just… I need to hear him again,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I need to hear his voice. Just once.”

Alden’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Max… do you really want that? After everything?”

She nodded. “I do. I’ve survived. I’m free. I’m me now. And… I think I need to understand him too. Not to go back… just to hear the truth. Just once.”

He studied her for a long moment, then finally nodded. “If anyone can handle this, it’s you. But… don’t lose yourself, Max.”

She smiled faintly, grateful for his quiet understanding. “I won’t. I’m not afraid anymore.”

That evening, after the celebration, she made the call she had been avoiding for months. Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed the number she had memorized, one she had once feared, one she had once longed for.

When the line connected, a voice answered immediately. As usual it was calm.

“Maxine"

Her breath caught in her throat. Just his voice, nothing else, yet it was enough to make her knees go weak, enough to make her pulse hammer in a way that reminded her how alive she still was.

She expected to hear the word "congratulations" from him, but instead calling her name is like receiving a gold medal award.

“Si.. Sir... Mike,” she whispered.

There was a pause. A long, deliberate pause that stretched over seconds she felt in her bones. Then, softly, he said, “It’s been… a long time.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “Too long. I… I wanted to hear your voice. Just… privately. Can we… talk?”

Another pause. She heard the faint rustle of movement on his end. The background was quiet, neutral, but deliberate. She could sense him assessing her, weighing, and thinking. Then he finally said, in a voice that held no claim, no command, only acknowledgment.

“Come tomorrow. Sharp nine in the evening. Alone. No interference. You have my word.”

Her heart leapt. Not because of fear, not because of longing, but because he had given her that choice, she same choice she had fought so hard to claim.

She nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “I’ll be there.”

As she hung up, the courtyard lights flickering on, bathing the world in a soft, golden glow, Maxine felt a strange weight lift from her chest. She had thought destiny would favor her this time. That the world would hand her clarity, success, and satisfaction.

But destiny had not sent her certainty. It had sent her something else, a "choice"

And Mike... he had given her the ultimate gift. Not controlled, no rules, and no chains disguised as protection. But freedom.

The realization hit her like lightning. She was free. Truly free. And yet, the pull of him, the memory, the presence, the danger and the familiarity... remained. She had survived him, escaped him, and yet she wanted to see him, not to return to the cage she had left behind, but to acknowledge the bond that had shaped her.

She could walk away again if she wanted. She could leave him behind, like she had for months. She could choose her independence, her studies, and her life.

But she didn’t.

Because now, she understood something essential: freedom wasn’t about absence of danger. It was about the absence of him.

Now that Maxine held her hard-earned diploma while her heart trembled with the thrill of victory. And six months since she walked out of OMRIS Medical Corporation...away from the man who shaped her, trained her, controlled her, and almost destroyed her.

She thought destiny would finally favor her. She thought life would reward her for surviving him.

But destiny stayed quiet. Freedom felt cold. And her heart… felt empty.

The library was silent except for the soft humming of fluorescent lights. Maxine sat at a corner table, surrounded by thick review books for her advanced studies on medical law. She should’ve been focused. She should’ve been proud, She was building her future.. finally.

But the words on the page blurred.

Her mind… drifted elsewhere.

“Are you tired?” her classmate whispered from across the table.

Maxine forced a small smile. “No. I’m just thinking.”

But she wasn’t thinking. She was longing.

And it cut through her in ways she hated.

Mike’s voice... low, commanding, always precise.

Mike’s sharp corrections during training.

Mike’s presence stood behind her as he guided her movements. Mike’s cold eyes that saw her weaknesses, yet taught her how to turn them into strength.

He haunted her. His memory clung to her. His absence carved a hollow space inside her she couldn’t ignore anymore. It was pathetic, irrational, and dangerous. But it was real.