the first glace

Chapter 4:A promise broken.

The old oak tree still stood in the clearing, its sprawling branches reaching toward the sky like a sentinel guarding their shared memories. Olivia leaned against the trunk, staring at the initials they had carved into the bark years ago: O + L. She traced the grooves with her fingers, a lump forming in her throat.

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the grass, but it did little to warm the chill that had settled in her chest. She heard footsteps behind her, steady and hesitant. She didn’t need to turn around to know it was Liam.

“You’re late,” she said without looking at him.

“I know,” Liam replied, his voice low. “I almost didn’t come.”

Olivia let out a bitter laugh. “Wouldn’t be the first time you didn’t show up when you promised you would.”

Liam flinched at her words, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he moved to stand beside her, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence was heavy, filled with the weight of everything they weren’t saying.

“Do you remember what you said to me here?” Olivia finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Liam looked at the tree, his jaw tightening. “I remember.”

“You promised,” she said, turning to face him. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “You promised that no matter what happened, you’d never hurt me. That we’d always have each other’s backs.”

“I meant it,” Liam said, his voice cracking. “At the time, I meant every word.”

“Then why, Liam?” Olivia asked, her voice breaking. “Why did you do it? Why did you go behind my back and ruin everything we had?”

He closed his eyes, exhaling sharply. “I don’t have a good answer for you, Liv. I wish I did. I messed up, okay? I made choices that I can’t take back, and I hate myself for it.”

Olivia shook her head, stepping away from him. “That’s not good enough. I trusted you more than anyone. I believed in you. And you…” She swallowed hard, her throat tightening. “You broke every promise you ever made to me.”

“I know,” Liam said, his voice barely audible. “And I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just…” He ran a hand through his hair, struggling to find the words. “I came here because I needed you to know that I never wanted to hurt you. You were—are—the most important person in my life, Liv. Losing you is the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

Olivia laughed bitterly, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Funny, you didn’t seem to care about that when you were lying to me. When you were making decisions that destroyed everything we built.”

“I care,” Liam said fiercely. “I care more than you know. But I can’t undo it. I can’t go back and fix it.”

“Then what’s the point of this conversation?” Olivia snapped. “You want me to tell you it’s okay? That I’ll just forget everything and pretend like you didn’t shatter every ounce of trust I had in you?”

“No,” Liam said, his voice soft. “I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry. Truly. For everything.”

Olivia stared at him, her chest heaving with the effort of holding back her emotions. She wanted to scream at him, to make him feel the pain she had carried for so long. But looking at him now, she saw the guilt etched into his face, the way his shoulders slumped under the weight of his own regret.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” she said finally. “Not now. Maybe not ever.”

Liam nodded, his eyes glistening. “I understand.”

For a moment, they stood in silence, the weight of their broken promises hanging between them. Olivia turned back to the tree, tracing the carved initials one last time. Then she stepped away, brushing past Liam without another word.

As she walked back toward the edge of the clearing, she heard him call after her. “Olivia…”

She paused but didn’t turn around.

“I’ll never stop being sorry,” he said.

She closed her eyes, letting his words sink in. But they didn’t change anything. Without replying, she kept walking, leaving him—and their broken promise—behind.