CHAPTER 10: Unspoken Wars
631 Words
The third day of the medical convention arrived.
Yarra wore her white coat like armor, her heels clicking confidently across the polished marble floor of the convention center. Her presentation had ended — perfectly. Applause. A handshake from the chief doctor. But none of it settled the storm in her heart.
Because she knew he was here.
Zarred Altamonte.
She hadn’t spoken to him.
He hadn’t approached her.
But twice, their eyes had locked from across the room. And in that split second, it was as if time bent — a thousand memories crashing like waves inside her.
But he always looked away first.
Coward.
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That evening, Yarra walked out to the hotel’s rooftop garden. The city lights of Cebu glowed like stars below. She needed air, space — clarity.
And there he was.
Zarred. Alone. Leaning against the railing, looking down at the city, lost in thought.
She froze.
He hadn’t seen her.
Part of her wanted to walk away.
But the other part — the hurt, angry, abandoned part — refused to run.
Instead, she stepped forward.
Deliberately.
Zarred turned at the sound of her heels. And this time, their eyes met — fully. No hiding.
He blinked, like he wasn’t sure if she was real.
“Yarra?” his voice was low, surprised.
She tilted her head slightly. “So… you finally recognize me?”
He took a step closer, unsure, almost careful. “I—I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“You didn’t know a lot of things,” she said coldly.
A heavy silence hung between them. The wind stirred her hair. Zarred swallowed hard.
“I wanted to reach out. So many times. But... things got complicated,” he began.
She laughed bitterly. “Complicated? Is that your excuse for disappearing? For rejecting me the night you left without a word? You made me feel worthless, Zarred.”
“I thought I was protecting you,” he said. “I didn’t want to drag you into the chaos of my family.”
Yarra’s eyes darkened. “You didn’t protect me. You destroyed me.”
Zarred flinched. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Yarra.”
“But you did.”
She stepped closer, her voice barely above a whisper.
“And now you get to stand there, in your expensive suit, in your perfect life, acting like nothing happened.”
“I never forgot you,” Zarred whispered. “Every day, I—”
“Don’t,” she snapped. “Don’t say you cared when you didn’t even say goodbye.”
Zarred’s hands clenched at his sides. His jaw tightened. “You think it was easy for me? You think I didn’t look back every single time I tried to move forward?”
“Then why didn’t you come back?”
His silence answered everything.
Yarra stared at him, her throat burning with rage and grief. Her hands trembled, but she refused to cry.
“I’m not that girl anymore, Zarred,” she said. “The one who waited for you.”
“I can see that,” he said softly. “You’ve become strong.”
“I became strong because I had to.”
He took one small step forward, but she raised a hand.
“Don’t come closer.”
“I never stopped—”
“No.” Her voice cracked. “Whatever you were about to say, save it.”
She turned away, her heart pounding.
But just before walking back inside, she looked over her shoulder and said with quiet fire:
“This time, I’ll be the one to leave.”
And with that, she disappeared into the night — leaving Zarred frozen, breathless, and unable to chase after the girl he once left behind.
- Writer
