Chapter 10: The Aftermath
941 Words
Teri’s POV – The Hospital
Pain had a funny way of making time stretch.
Minutes felt like hours. Hours felt like days.
And yet—
Somehow, Teri had been lying in this damn hospital bed for three days.
Three days since she had woken up to sterile walls, stiff sheets, and the lingering scent of antiseptic in the air.
Three days since Lena had sat beside her, eyes red and swollen, relief and worry warring on her face.
Three days since he walked out that door.
Teri exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling.
She had known.
Of course, she had known.
She had seen it in his eyes before he kissed her—that finality, that goddamn goodbye.
She had felt it in the way his grip tightened like he wasn’t ready to let go—but already had.
That’s why she called him a coward.
Because he was running.
Because she had dared him to stay, and instead—he did exactly what she expected.
And still…
Even knowing it was coming, even preparing for it—
It still felt like a punch to the gut.
Her fingers curled weakly into the thin hospital blanket.
Because no matter how much she told herself this was inevitable—
No matter how much she wanted to believe that it hadn’t meant anything—
That kiss.
That damn kiss.
Hard. Desperate. Final.
Like he had been memorizing her. Like he had wanted more—but refused to take it.
Like it had wrecked him just as much as it had wrecked her.
So, if that kiss had meant nothing—why the hell did it feel like something had shattered inside her?
A sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.
Lena stepped inside, carrying a cup of what was probably terrible hospital coffee.
“You look like hell,” Lena said, offering a weak smile as she sat beside her.
“Feel like it too,” Teri muttered.
Lena hummed, setting the cup down.
Silence stretched between them.
Teri knew what was coming before Lena even opened her mouth.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Teri scoffed. “Nope.”
Lena sighed.
“Teri—”
“I get it, okay?” Teri cut in, forcing herself to sit up. Pain lanced through her ribs, but she ignored it. “He left. I knew he would. I saw it coming. I told him he was a coward, and he still walked. End of story.”
Lena watched her carefully. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
Teri laughed, but it was hollow.
“It shouldn’t.”
Lena didn’t answer.
Because they both knew that was bullshit.
Teri sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair.
“I don’t want to talk about him, Lena.”
A pause.
Then, quietly—
“Okay.”
Lena didn’t push.
Didn’t tell her she was lying.
Didn’t remind her that she had never looked at anyone the way she had looked at him.
And for that, Teri was grateful.
Because she didn’t have the energy to lie anymore.
Not to herself.
Not to Lena.
Because the truth?
The truth was simple.
She had let someone in.
For the first time in a long time.
And now, he was gone.
And it didn’t matter that she had seen it coming.
It still felt like something had been ripped out of her chest.
Teri’s POV – One Week After the Hospital
Teri had always been good at moving on.
She didn’t dwell. Didn’t get stuck in what-ifs.
Life was easier when you just kept going.
And yet—
It had been a week since she left that hospital bed.
A week since she forced herself to stop waiting for a text. A call. A sign that he hadn’t just disappeared.
A week since she started pretending that she wasn’t still thinking about him.
That she wasn’t still waking up in cold sweats, the feeling of his hands gripping her waist lingering like a phantom touch.
That she wasn’t still aching with the knowledge that he left without a word.
Like she had meant nothing.
It pissed her off.
And worse?
It didn’t make sense.
Because no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that he didn’t care—
Something wasn’t adding up.
The first few days had been the worst.
The hospital had cleared her for discharge, but she wasn’t fine.
Not really.
Her ribs ached with every breath, the dull, insistent pain a constant reminder that she had barely survived.
The fever was gone, but exhaustion clung to her, making everything feel heavier.
Every time she looked in the mirror, she barely recognized herself.
Tired eyes. Pale skin. Shadows where there hadn’t been any before.
And yet, the worst part?
The quiet.
She had spent days surrounded by the sound of him.
The low timbre of his voice, the way he murmured in Italian when he thought she couldn’t hear.
The steady cadence of his breathing beside her at night.
The way he had spoken to her like she wasn’t fragile, even when she was burning up with fever.
Now, her apartment was too quiet.
Too empty.
And she hated it.
She tried to distract herself.
Tried to get back to normal.
She went on walks—too short, too slow.
She stretched, ignoring the sharp pull of pain in her ribs.
She met up with Lena, who watched her with too much concern.
Teri did everything she could to convince herself she was fine.
But there were moments—small, fleeting moments—where it felt like something was wrong.
- Writer
