REGRET IS A QUIET MONSTER
418 Words
After the breakup-like silence between them, regret began to devour Samuel slowly.
He regretted not being there more.
He regretted not trying harder.
He regretted everything and nothing at the same time.
Alice regretted trusting too deeply.
She regretted opening her heart.
She regretted the pain she was carrying.
Both of them loved each other—
but both of them were hurting too much to fix anything.
Samuel slept poorly.
He lost focus entirely.
He almost dropped out.
Alice fought battles inside her home.
She battled shame in school.
She battled fear about her future.
Regret became the silent companion of both hearts.
⸻
Months passed.
Samuel tried to rebuild himself.
He retook courses.
He found small jobs to survive.
He learned responsibility the hardest way.
Alice carried her pregnancy through storms—
family conflict, emotional breakdowns, and loneliness.
The day her baby finally cried into the world,
Alice burst into tears—not just from the pain of childbirth,
but from months of emotional suffering.
Samuel was not there.
He couldn’t afford the trip.
He was in the middle of exams.
And even if he could go, her family banned him.
He got the news from Alice’s short message:
“She’s here.”
Just two words.
But it broke him.
That night, Samuel sat on his hostel bed and wept like a child.
His life had changed forever, yet he wasn’t part of the moment.
Three weeks later, Alice’s family allowed him to see the baby.
He traveled for hours.
His heart beat violently the whole journey.
When he finally saw his daughter—tiny, innocent, and peaceful—
everything inside him crumbled.
He touched her small fingers.
He whispered her name.
And he whispered an apology no one else heard.
He apologized to Alice too—
for everything.
For the distance.
For the pain.
For the broken promises.
For failing her when she needed him most.
Alice cried silently.
Not in anger—
but in relief, exhaustion, and acceptance.
They didn’t get back together.
Their relationship was too bruised to return to what it once was.
But they found peace.
They found understanding.
They found a new path—
not as lovers,
but as two young parents trying to rebuild their lives.
Samuel returned to school with a new purpose.
Alice embraced motherhood with quiet strength.
Their story didn’t end in happily-ever-after.
It ended in reality—
messy, painful, but honest.
A story of love,
distance,
mistakes,
regret,
and the harsh lessons life teaches too early.
- Writer
