Chapter 1: Wounds Turned to Ink
"It ends here, Aira."
Eros said it flatly in front of the main campus gate.
The noise of traffic and the laughter of other students suddenly went silent in my ears. I stared at the man in front of me in disbelief. Eros Obsidian—the most handsome and coldest guy on campus—had just shattered my world in a single sentence.
"Why, Eros? What did I do wrong?" I asked, my voice trembling.
For two years, our relationship was fine. Many were even jealous of me for being the one who could melt his heart. Eros just looked straight at the road, refusing to meet my tear-filled eyes.
"You did nothing wrong, Aira. I just have to leave for an urgent family matter," he answered shortly.
"What kind of matter requires us to break up? I can wait for you, Eros," I tried to reach for his arm, but he pulled away quickly.
"I’m taking a leave from college starting tomorrow, and I might not come back," he said without a hint of regret.
"You’re dumping me just like that after everything we’ve been through?" I shouted, ignoring the people who were starting to watch us.
Eros paused for a moment. He looked at me with a gaze that felt completely foreign—a look I had never seen in two years.
"Just pretend I never existed, Aira. Forget me and find your own happiness," he said before turning around and walking toward his black car.
I stood frozen by the roadside, watching his car slowly disappear around the corner. Loneliness and confusion hit me at once, leaving a huge hole in my chest.
The weeks that followed were hell. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and spent all my time staring at a phone screen that never showed a notification from him. Eros truly vanished, as if the earth had swallowed him whole.
"Aira, you can't go on like this. Look at yourself—you're like a walking corpse!" Maya, my best friend, snapped when she found me crying in a dark corner of my room.
I didn't answer. I felt like my soul had left with Eros that day. Worried about my condition, Maya took me to a famous psychiatrist downtown. The office was peaceful, with a lavender scent meant to relax me.
"Aira, that pain won't go away if you keep it locked in your head," Dr. Hendra said softly. I just stared at my fingers, not knowing where to start. "Try putting it into writing. Write down all your anger, your longing, and your pain," he suggested, handing me a blank notebook.
That night, I sat in front of my dusty laptop. My fingers began to move over the keyboard, typing words that flowed like a flooded river. I wrote about a woman betrayed by the man she loved, about a pain that burned like fire.
Without realizing it, I created a fictional world that was dark yet beautiful. I started uploading the story to an online novel platform under a pen name. The readers' response was incredible. They felt every tear I poured into every chapter. In a short time, my novel went viral and hit number one in several categories.
"Aira! You have to see this!" Maya shouted, running into my apartment one morning. She showed me an official email from a major publisher. "You won, Aira! Your novel was chosen as the first-place winner in the national competition!"
I was stunned. The prize wasn't just a large amount of cash, but also a two-month writing retreat.
"A retreat to a small castle in the middle of a forest?" I asked, reading the details.
"Yes! It’s the best healing spot—exclusive and quiet," Maya said. "This is your chance to escape Eros's shadow. Take a break, go there, and finish your novel. Maybe you'll find the real you there, not the Aira who cries over a coward."
After days of arguing, I finally agreed. I packed my clothes, my laptop, and my notebooks. Maybe Maya was right. I needed a far-off place to heal this wound. I had to learn to stand on my own.
Looking in the mirror, I saw a different woman. My eyes were still tired, but there was a spark of determination.
"I'm going, Maya. I'm going to finish this story," I said.
"That's my girl! Don't forget to bring me back a handsome man if you find one there!" Maya joked, making me smile for the first time.
I stepped out of the apartment, leaving the bitter memories behind. I didn't know what awaited me at that forest castle, but I was ready to write a new chapter.
As the car drove away from the city toward the mysterious silence, I took a deep breath.
Goodbye, the past. Goodbye, Eros Obsidian. I hope we never meet again.
