Days passed, and I noticed it quietly at first. Aiden wasn’t in the shadows anymore. He didn’t appear at the corners of my vision, didn’t linger near the places I frequented, didn’t show up at unexpected moments the way he used to.
I told myself I should feel relief. I had asked him to leave. I had chosen Liam, my constant, the one who made my life steady and safe. And yet…
I found myself glancing over my shoulder sometimes, half-expecting to see him there, like I always had. And when he wasn’t, a strange, empty ache settled in my chest.
It was subtle at first—almost laughable. I reminded myself he had no right to be there. That he was dating someone else now, finally respecting my boundaries. But the feeling persisted. A quiet, nagging awareness that something important had vanished fr
