Chapter 9: chasing what he lost.
683 Words
The city suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Not because it had changed—but because Gregory had.
Every street he passed carried memories he couldn’t ignore. Places he had walked with Skylar, conversations that still echoed faintly in his mind, moments that once felt ordinary but now meant everything.
And yet…
She was nowhere.
Gregory tightened his grip on his phone as he stepped out onto the busy roadside. For the first time in his life, he didn’t have a clear plan. No structured decision. No guaranteed outcome.
Just one goal.
Find her.
He scrolled through his contacts again, slower this time, more deliberate. Most of the names meant nothing in this situation—business associates, family connections, people tied to a life he had just walked away from.
None of them knew Skylar.
None of them mattered right now.
Then he stopped.
One name.
Daniel.
A mutual friend. Not particularly close, but close enough to have crossed paths with Skylar more than once.
Gregory hesitated for a second.
Then he called.
The line rang longer than expected.
Once.
Twice.
Three times—
“Gregory?”
Daniel’s voice carried mild surprise.
“You don’t call people without a reason.”
Gregory didn’t waste time.
“I need your help.”
That alone shifted the tone.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Skylar,” Gregory said. “She left. I need to find her.”
There was a pause on the other end.
Not confusion.
Not shock.
Something closer to understanding.
“…I heard about the engagement,” Daniel said carefully.
Gregory exhaled slowly.
“Yeah. It’s over.”
Another pause.
“Is it?”
“It is for me,” Gregory replied. “But that’s not the point. Do you know where she is?”
Silence stretched for a moment.
Then—
“No,” Daniel said. “Not exactly.”
Gregory’s jaw tightened.
“But you know something,” he pressed.
Daniel hesitated.
“I know she’s not here anymore,” he admitted. “She left the city.”
That hit harder than expected.
Left.
Not just avoiding him.
Not just hiding.
Gone.
“Where?” Gregory asked.
“I don’t know,” Daniel replied. “She didn’t tell anyone. She just… left.”
Gregory closed his eyes briefly, frustration building.
“There has to be something,” he said. “She wouldn’t just disappear without a trace.”
Daniel sighed lightly.
“Gregory… she was hurt.”
“I know.”
“Not just hurt,” Daniel continued. “She was done.”
The words landed heavily.
Gregory didn’t respond immediately.
Because deep down…
He understood what that meant.
After the call ended, Gregory stood still for a moment, letting the reality settle.
She didn’t want to be found.
That was clear.
And yet…
He wasn’t ready to stop.
Not this time.
The next few days blurred together.
Gregory searched everywhere he could think of.
Places she used to visit. Cafés she liked. The small bookstore she once mentioned wanting to work in someday. Even random streets that held no real significance—just in case.
Nothing.
Every lead ended the same way.
Empty.
It was exhausting.
Not physically—but mentally.
Because every failed attempt reminded him of one thing:
He had lost her.
And now, he didn’t even know where to begin finding her again.
One evening, as the sun dipped low and the sky softened into shades of orange and gold, Gregory found himself sitting alone near the water.
The same place they had once stood together.
The same place where she had asked him to promise not to shut her out.
He let out a quiet breath, staring at the waves.
“I kept the wrong promise,” he murmured to himself.
The realization was simple.
But heavy.
He had honored his father’s wish…
And broken the one that actually mattered.
His phone buzzed suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
A message.
Unknown number.
Gregory frowned slightly before opening it.
“If you’re still looking for her… stop searching in the wrong places.”
His expression shifted instantly.
- Writer
