I BEGGED HIM TO STAY

CHAPTER 10: You Don’t Get Me Back

The calls didn’t stop.

That night.

The next morning.

Even hours later.

My phone kept lighting up with his name again and again like he couldn’t accept the silence I was giving him.

I didn’t answer.

Not once.

At first, it felt strange.

Ignoring someone who used to be my whole world.

But the more it happened…

The easier it became.

“Still calling?”

Adrian’s voice came from across the room.

I sat by the window, my phone resting in my hand as it vibrated again.

I glanced at the screen, then turned it face down.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“I’m not picking up.”

A faint nod.

“Good.”

I exhaled slowly.

“I didn’t think it would be this hard for him to let go.”

Adrian looked at me for a moment.

“It’s not about letting go,” he said. “It’s about losing control.”

I frowned slightly.

“Control?”

“Yes,” he replied. “He was sure you would always be there. No matter what he did.”

My chest tightened slightly.

“That’s not true,” I said.

“It is,” Adrian said calmly. “You proved it when you begged him to stay.”

The words hit.

Not painfully.

Just… truthfully.

“And now?” I asked.

“Now,” he said, “you’ve taken that certainty away from him.”

I looked down at my hands.

“So he’s reacting.”

“Exactly.”

My phone buzzed again.

This time..

A message.

I hesitated.

Then opened it.

“We need to talk. Stop ignoring me.”

Another message came immediately.

“This isn’t like you.”

I stared at the screen.

A small, almost ironic smile formed on my lips.

“You’re right,” I whispered.

“It’s not.”

Meanwhile

He was losing patience.

“She’s ignoring me.”

His voice was sharp as he paced across the room.

“And?” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed, arms crossed.

“And what?” he snapped. “You don’t see a problem with that?”

She let out a dry laugh.

“Oh, I see the problem,” she said. “The problem is that you suddenly care.”

His steps halted.

“That’s not what this is.”

“Really?” she challenged. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re chasing your ex while I’m standing right here.”

“I’m not chasing her,” he said.

“Then what are you doing?” she pressed.

Silence.

Again.

She shook her head.

“This is exactly what I was afraid of.”

He frowned.

“And what is that?”

“That the moment she stopped wanting you,” she said, “you’d start wanting her again.”

His expression hardened.

“That’s not true.”

“Then prove it,” she said.

“How?”

“Stop calling her.”

The words landed heavily.

He didn’t respond.

Didn’t agree.

Didn’t deny.

And that was enough.

Her chest tightened.

“You can’t even do that, can you?” she said quietly.

“It’s not about that,” he replied.

“Then what is it about?” she asked.

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear in every movement.

“I just want to understand what’s going on.”

She laughed bitterly.

“What’s going on is that she moved on,” she said. “Something you didn’t expect.”

His jaw clenched.

“And now you can’t stand it.”

Back in the apartment

I stood in front of the mirror again.

But this time, it wasn’t about appearance.

It was about… recognition.

I studied myself carefully.

The way I stood.

The way I looked.

The way I felt.

Different.

Stronger.

Not because of Adrian.

Not completely.

But because I had finally seen the truth.

“You’re thinking again.”

I met Adrian’s gaze through the mirror.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

I turned to face him.

“What if this doesn’t last?” I asked.

“What doesn’t?”

“This version of me,” I said. “What if I go back to who I was?”

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he walked closer.

Not too close.

Just enough.

“You won’t,” he said.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

“How?”

“Because the person you were before,” he said, “didn’t know her worth.”

His eyes held mine.

“But you do now.”

Silence settled between us.

Not heavy.

Not uncomfortable.

Just… real.

“And if I forget?” I asked softly.

“Then I’ll remind you.”

The words were simple.

But they carried weight.

I looked away first.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked again.

This time

He didn’t avoid it.

“Because I don’t like seeing you lose,” he said.

That answer…

Felt different.

More honest.

My phone buzzed again.

Another message.

I picked it up.

“If you don’t talk to me, I’ll come see you.”

I stared at the screen.

Then

Another message.

“Don’t test me.”

My brows furrowed slightly.

“Still calling?” Adrian asked.

“Worse,” I said.

He walked closer.

“What is it?”

I showed him the screen.

His expression didn’t change.

But something in his eyes did.

“Let him come,” Adrian said calmly.

I blinked.

“What?”

“If he wants to see you,” he continued, “then he will.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“It is,” he said.

“How?”

He met my gaze.

“Because this time,” he said, “he won’t be walking into the same situation.”

My heart skipped.

“What do you mean?”

A faint smirk appeared on his lips.

“This time,” he said, “he’ll understand exactly where he stands.”

A chill ran through me.

Not fear.

Something else.

Anticipation.

Later that evening

A knock echoed through the apartment.

Sharp.

Impatient.

I froze.

Adrian didn’t.

He walked toward the door calmly.

“Wait” I started.

But he had already reached it.

And opened it.

Standing there

Was him.

His eyes immediately found mine.

And in that moment everything shifted again.

Because this time…

I wasn’t alone.