Chapter 1: The Interview
I hadn't seen him in five years. Not since that rainy afternoon when he left without a word, without a goodbye.
Now here he was—standing behind the sleek glass table, in a tailored suit, holding my résumé in his hand.
"Miss Li," he said, as if my name meant nothing.
My heart didn't listen. It pounded like it remembered everything.
This was supposed to be a new beginning. A fresh start in a foreign city.
But fate had other plans.
Chapter 2: First Glance, Again
I thought I had prepared myself.
New job. New city. New life.
But nothing could have prepared me for seeing him again—Ethan Zhou—not as the boy I once loved, but as the man who now sat at the head of the conference table, his presence commanding, his eyes unreadable.
He didn't flinch when he saw me. He didn't even blink
Just that same calm, calculating expression. Cold, sharp. Like I was just another résumé on his desk.
"Your experience is impressive," he said. "We're glad to have someone with your background join the Singapore team."
Singapore. So far from where we first met. So far from that quiet park bench where we used to sit, talking about dreams, and daring to believe in forever.
"I'm glad to be here," I replied, keeping my voice steady. "It's a big opportunity."
He nodded, then looked away as if our past never existed.
But I saw it—the flicker in his eyes. Just for a moment. Like a crack in a wall that had been carefully rebuilt.
The meeting ended with handshakes and polite smiles. He didn't look back when he walked out of the room.
But I stood there, heart still trying to catch up with the moment, wondering how the person who once knew everything about me could now act like a stranger.
Or maybe we were both pretending.
Chapter 3: The Ghost Between Us
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face—not the one in the boardroom, but the boy I had fallen in love with. The one who used to laugh without hesitation, who once held my hand like he'd never let go.
But he did.
And now, five years later, here we were again. Strangers in expensive suits, standing on opposite sides of a polished table, pretending the past never happened.
The office buzzed the next morning, full of unfamiliar faces and overlapping voices. My new team welcomed me with warm smiles and coffee recommendations, but I could barely focus. Every corner felt like it might contain another memory.
Or him.
"Hey, Li," one of the assistants called out. "You're wanted upstairs. Director Zhou asked for you."
My pulse skipped. Director Zhou—so formal, so distant. But it was him.
I grabbed my notepad and headed up.
His office was a sleek glass box perched above the skyline. The view stretched all the way to the harbor, the city alive below us. But all I could see was him—back turned, staring out the window.
He didn't turn around.
"You've settled in?"
"Yes," I said softly.
A long pause.
Then he turned, slowly, eyes unreadable. "We'll be working closely for the next few months. I suggest we keep things professional."
I felt the sting of his words more than I wanted to admit. Like a door slammed shut before I could step through it.
"Of course," I answered. "I wouldn't expect anything else."
He nodded. Just once. "Good."
I turned to leave, but before my hand touched the door, his voice stopped me.
"Li…"
I froze.
He hesitated. Then, quietly, "You look… well."
I didn't look back.
"So do you," I said, and walked out.
🥀
We both pretended it didn't hurt.
But the silence between us was louder than any goodbye.
Chapter 3.5: His Side of Silence
(Ethan's POV)
I hadn't said her name in five years.
Not out loud. Not even in my head
But the moment she walked into the meeting room yesterday, everything I'd buried clawed its way back up—her voice, her eyes, the way she used to smile when she thought no one was watching.
And I had to pretend.
Pretend like I hadn't searched for her face in every city I moved to.
Pretend like I hadn't memorized her email years ago and hovered over it more times than I could count.
Pretend like she hadn't been the only person who ever made me feel like I wasn't completely alone.
She looked… older. Stronger. The kind of woman who didn't need anyone to catch her if she fell.
But I saw it—that flicker of hesitation when I said her name.
"Miss Li."
Like it still meant something.
God, it still meant everything.
I asked her to keep things professional because I didn't trust myself to do the opposite.
The way she looked at me—like she was holding back a thousand things and I wasn't sure if I wanted to run or hear them all.
But when she turned to leave, I almost stopped her. Almost told her the truth.
That I didn't choose to leave.
That I never forgot.
That no one ever came close to replacing her.
Instead, I gave her the most cowardly thing I had left.
"You look… well."
She didn't even turn around.
"So do you," she said, and walked out of my life—again.
Some wounds don't bleed.
Some stay hidden, buried under suits and silence.
And sometimes, the person you left behind… never really left you.
Chapter 4: What We Never Said
(Li's POV)
I told myself I was fine.
That this job was just another step in my career, that Ethan Zhou was just another executive I had to work with.
But my lies were thin. And breaking.
Every time I walked past his office, my steps slowed. My heart raced even if I didn't look in.
And when I did catch a glimpse—him on the phone, typing something, standing by the window—I wondered if he ever thought of me.
Like I thought of him.
Five Years Ago
We met on accident.
It was a rainy orientation week in my final year of university. I was soaked, lost, and late for a seminar when he offered me his umbrella.
He wasn't a student. He was a guest speaker—young, sharp, with a quiet confidence that made people lean in when he talked.
"I'm Ethan," he said. "You look like you could use some directions."
"I look likeadrowned cat," I replied.
He smiled, and I swear the clouds eased up just for a second.
We met again two days later, this time in a business workshop. I didn't know he'd be one of the mentors.
He remembered my name.
He remembered my favorite drink.
He remembered everything I thought no one ever noticed.
And I started to fall—slowly, then all at once.
Present Day
Now, he walked past my desk with a nod, as if five years hadn't existed. As if we hadn't once stayed up talking until sunrise. As if he hadn't once held my trembling hands and promised he wouldn't leave.
But he did.
No explanation. No warning. Just silence.
Later that night, as I sat in my empty apartment unpacking books I hadn't touched in years, one slipped out—a gift from him
Inside the front cover, he had written:
"To all the stories we haven't told yet." —E.Z.
I stared at it for a long time.
We used to believe in stories.
But life had written a painful one for us.
And I wasn't sure we still had a pen.
There are words that live in silence.
And sometimes, silence says more than goodbye ever could.
Chapter 5: A Truth Untold
(Ethan's POV)
I watched her leave the meeting room—head high, eyes forward, as if nothing ever happened between us.
She was good at pretending.
Maybe even better than me.
The moment she walked into this company, I knew I was screwed.
Not professionally. I could handle deadlines, pressure, billion-dollar contracts.
But her?
She was the one thing I had no defense against.
I kept telling myself it was better this way.
That silence was protection.
That walking away was necessary.
That I had no choice.
But she never knew the reason why I left.
Not really.
Five Years Ago
It started with a phone call
One second I was sitting across from her in our favorite bookstore café, watching her sketch designs on a napkin—talking about internships and flights and where we'd spend the holidays.
The next, I was staring at a message I hoped I'd never see.
"Your father collapsed. We need you back. The company… it's not going to survive."
Duty. Obligation. Legacy.
Words that meant everything to a family like mine. Words I had tried to outrun.
I never said goodbye. I told myself I'd explain later.
But later turned into months.
And months turned into silence.
Present Day
"Director Zhou?" my assistant's voice broke through my thoughts. "The Singapore team's monthly report is ready. Ms. Li will present it at 3 PM."
Li. Presenting
I felt my throat tighten.
This wasn't just fate.i
It was a second chance wearing a suit and heels.
But I didn't know if she'd ever want to hear the truth.
And part of me was still afraid it might not be enough.
Sometimes we leave not because we want to,
but because staying would destroy everything we thought we could protect.
Chapter 6: Across the Table
(Dual POV – Li & Ethan)
Li
The conference room was too quiet.
Twelve people, one long table, and him—seated at the head, perfectly unreadable.
My laptop screen blurred. I wasn't nervous because of the report—I had done harder pitches before. But knowing he would be the one watching, the one asking questions, twisted something deep in my chest.
I stood up, steady voice masking the storm inside.
"Good afternoon. Today's report will cover Q2 metrics and revised projections for the Singapore expansion…"
I didn't let myself look at him.
Not yet.
Not until I absolutely had to.
Ethan
She spoke like she was made of steel.
Composed. Articulate. Sharp.
But I saw the flicker—the way her fingers tightened slightly around the clicker, the tiny pause before she said 'Director Zhou' instead of Ethan.
She wasn't nervous. She was guarded.
Because of me.
And every number she read, every slide she presented—I wasn't thinking about charts. I was thinking about the last time I held her hand and how warm it felt in mine.
I kept my face blank, but inside, I was screaming.
Li
"…and that concludes the forecast adjustments."
I turned to face him.
Finally.
His gaze met mine across the table—calm, direct. But there was something else there.
A question.
A regret.
A history.
He nodded. Just once.
"Well presented," he said. "Clear, concise, and ahead of projections. Good work, Ms. Li."
Ms. Li.
So formal. So sterile.
It shouldn't have hurt. But it did.
"Thank you, Director Zhou.
I sat down. My heart did not.
Ethan
I wanted to say more.
Something—anything—that wasn't business.
Like "I still remember how your voice sounds when you laugh."
Or "Do you still draw on napkins when you're nervous?"
But the room wasn't ours. And neither, anymore, was the time.
She walked out without looking back.
Again.
And I let her go.
Again.
They sat at the same table, inches apart,
but the distance between them was still measured in years.
Chapter 7: The Storm Before the Words
(Li's POV)
It started with a coffee spill.
Not dramatic. Just a careless bump in the breakroom.
He reached to steady me. I pulled away before he coul touch me.
"You don't have to act like you care," I said, sharper than I intended.
Ethan paused. His jaw tightened. "I never stopped caring."
The silence between us snapped like a cable.
"Then why did you disappear, Ethan?" I said, my voice rising. "Why no goodbye, no message, no explanation?"
He looked away. "You wouldn't have understood."
"No," I snapped. "You just didn't try."
🌧️ Chapter 8: What Broke Us
(Ethan's POV
The boardroom was empty. Only the sound of rain tapping glass.
She stood there, arms crossed, eyes blazing—not like the girl I left, but the woman who had rebuilt herself without me
You don't know what was happening," I said. "My father collapsed. Our family business was falling apart. Everything was on me."
"And I wasn't worth an explanation?"
"You were too important," I said. "If I had heard your voice, I wouldn't have been able to leave."
Her lips trembled. She looked at me like I had finally given her the one thing she stopped hoping for—the truth.
💔 Chapter 9: Almost
(Dual POV – Alternating Paragraphs)
Li:
He said the words I'd waited years to hear. But hearing them didn't erase the pain of his silence.
I wanted to forgive him. But part of me needed him to hurt the way I did.
Ethan:
I reached out, brushing her fingers. She didn't pull away.
It was the closest I'd been to her in five years, and I still didn't know if I had the right to touch her.
Li:
"Why now?" I whispered. "Why come back into my life just when I've finally started living without you?"
Ethan:
"Because I never stopped loving you."
The words hung between us, bare and trembling.
I didn't expect her to believe me.
Li:
Why now?" I whispered. "Why come back into my life just when I've finally started living without you?"
Ethan:
"Because I never stopped loving you."
The words hung between us, bare and trembling.
I didn't expect her to believe me.
Li:
Tears welled up. "Then prove it. Stop hiding. Stop being the man who runs when things get hard."
❤️ Chapter 10: Cracks in the Wall
(Li's POV)
I didn't say yes. I didn't say no.
I let him walk beside me on the way out of the building that night.
Neither of us spoke.
But something had changed.
He showed up the next morning with coffee—my favorite. He remembered.
He didn't say anything. Just left it on my desk.
I stared at the cup for a long time.
I was still angry. Still guarded.
But for the first time in five years, I wasn't just remembering the Ethan I lost.
I was seeing the man who might be trying to come back.
Sometimes love doesn't arrive with grand gestures.
It comes quietly, in the spaces between what's broken.
Waiting to be rebuilt.
Chapter 11: Learning Each Other Again
(Li's POV)
He brought coffee again the next day.
And the next.
He didn't ask for a chance. He didn't push.
He just showed up—in the meetings, in the hallway, in the quiet pauses where I used to feel alone.
And slowly, I let him in
We started talking again—not about the past, but about everything else. Music. Travel. Books.
He still remembered my favorite author. I pretended it didn't matter.
It did.
🌸 Chapter 12: If We Were Just Strangers
(Dual POV)
Ethan:
There were moments she smiled at me like nothing had broken between us.
And moments she looked away like everything still hurt.
I was careful. Gentle.
Because now I understood: she wasn't angry because I left.
She was angry because she let herself believe I wouldn't.
Li:
He listened differently now.
Not like a lover trying to impress me. But like a man trying to earn back something sacred.
For a moment, I wondered…
If we had just met for the first time now—would I still fall for him?
Yes.
But that didn't mean I wasn't afraid.
✈️ Chapter 13: Another Goodbye?
(Li's POV)
My phone buzzed with a message from HR.
"Your application for the Paris regional position has been shortlisted. Final interview next week.
Paris. A promotion. A new beginning.
Far away from him.
I didn't know how to feel.
At lunch, I told him. Calmly. Like it was just a career step.
He said nothing for a moment. Then:
"You deserve it."
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
I didn't tell him I hadn't accepted yet.
Because I didn't know what I wanted more—my future, or our unfinished past
🥀 Chapter 14: Ghosts Return in Heels
(Ethan's POV)
She walked into the office like she owned the floor.
Isabelle Lin.
My ex-fiancée.
The engagement had ended long before Li reappeared. But now, her return was perfectly
to ruin what I hadn't even rebuilt yet.
She acted like nothing had changed.
She called me E, smiled at my assistant, and asked if we could "talk over dinner."
When Li saw her standing at my office door, everything changed in her eyes.
She didn't ask.
She didn't accuse.
She just smiled politely, nodded once, and walked away.
Like I was no longer worth asking anything about.
🔥 Chapter 15: What Almost Happened
(Li's POV)
I avoided him for two days.
I buried myself in reports, meetings, anything but eye contact.
Then came Friday night.
The office was quiet. We were the last two left—again.
He waited by the elevator. Silent. Still.
"Nothing happened," he said. "With Isabelle. I swear to you."
I turned, tired of guessing.
"You don't owe me explanations, Ethan. I'm not your past. And I'm not your future either."
But when he stepped closer, I didn't stop him.
His fingers brushed mine. Then my cheek.
And for one breathless moment, we kissed like we were still twenty and the world hadn't broken us yet.
Then I pulled away.
Because the world had.
Love doesn't always fall apart with shouting.
Sometimes, it breaks in silence—
between what we feel, and what we're too afraid to say.
Chapter 16: The Offer on the Table
(Li's POV)
The final interview went well.
Too well.
The Paris office sent a contract the next morning—better title, better pay, better everything.
It was everything I thought I wanted.
But when I saw Ethan in the hallway, his eyes catching mine, something inside me faltered.
"Congratulations," he said quietly, already knowing.
I smiled. "It's not official yet."
"It should be," he said, but his voice cracked just a little. "You've earned it."
That night, I stood on the balcony of my apartment, contract in hand, wondering—
Why did this feel more like a loss than a win?
✈️ Chapter 17: The Letter She Didn't Want to Write
(Ethan's POV)
She left before I could say anything else.
No goodbye. No delay. Just… gone.
There was a note on my desk when I arrived the next morning.
Ethan,
This isn't goodbye. It's just… a chapter I need to write alone.
You were a beautiful part of my story. But I need to find out who I am when I'm not waiting for someone to return.
—Li
I stared at the words until they blurred.
And for the first time in years, I didn't feel calm. I felt shattered.
🌧️ Chapter 18: One-Way Ticket
(Ethan's POV)
I boarded the flight to Paris with nothing but a carry-on and the feeling that I was five years too late—again.
I didn't have a plan.
I only had her address from the onboarding paperwork I happened to approve weeks ago.
It was reckless. Irrational. Unprofessional.
But losing her again wasn't something I was willing to do.
I waited outside her new apartment building for hours.
When she finally walked up the street, umbrella in hand, she froze.
Rain dripped from her lashes.
"…Ethan?"
I nodded, soaked through.
"I didn't come to convince you," I said. "I came
to tell you—if you ever want someone to walk beside you again, I'm here. For real this time."
❤️ Chapter 19: The Words They Never Said
(Li's POV)
He looked ridiculous. Wet. Breathless. Raw.
But honest.
And I realized—maybe he never stopped being honest. He just didn't know how to love out loud back then.
"I don't need someone to save me," I said.
"I know," he whispered. "But I'm still here. Because I want to be. Not because I have to."
I stepped closer.
"You're late," I said softly.
"I know."
"Five years late."
"I'll spend the next fifty making up for it."
And then I kissed him—not like we were lost kids trying to remember how we once felt…
But like two people finally choosing the same future.
🌅 Chapter 20: Meant To Be
(Dual POV – Final Chapter)
Ethan:
We didn't move fast.
We learned each other again.
We argued, laughed, rebuilt trust one morning at a time.
She stayed in Paris. I relocated.
Because I realized loving her wasn't about pulling her back into my world.
It was about showing up in hers.
Li:
He didn't ask me to change.
He just showed up. Every day.
And for once, love wasn't something I had to choose over myself.
It was something that walked beside me.
We weren't perfect.
But we were possible.
And this time, we chose us.
—The End.