Ethan's pov
I followed her down the quiet path behind the dorm, every step fueled by a desperate hope I couldn't shake. The night was cold, but my heart burned hotter than I'd ever felt before. The words I'd been holding inside for months were finally ready to be said—ready to be heard.
"Lena," I called softly, my voice trembling with everything I was trying to hold back.
She stopped, her back still turned to me. I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way she hugged herself as if trying to keep some invisible storm at bay.
"I can't just let you walk away," I said, closing the distance between us. My breath hitched as I looked at her—really looked at her. The girl I'd fallen for without even realizing it.
"There's something I need to tell you," I said, voice low but fierce. "Something I've been holding back for far too long."
Her eyes finally met mine—wide, unsure, but unblinking.
"I love you, Lena," I said, the words pouring out raw and real, unfiltered. "Not as my fake girlfriend, not for some game or pretense. I love you. The real you."
For a moment, the world felt still—like everything had been holding its breath.
But then, her expression shifted. The flicker of hope I saw vanished, replaced by something I couldn't quite read—pain? Fear? Regret?
She stepped back, putting space between us, her voice barely above a whisper but sharp enough to cut through me.
"I think... I don't need to make my ex jealous anymore," she said, eyes downcast. "And I think... we should stop this."
My chest tightened, the words hitting harder than I expected.
"Stop what?" I asked, voice cracking.
"This," she said, gesturing between us. "The pretending. The lies. The fake relationship."
I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. "But what about us? What about what I just said?"
She shook her head, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"I can't. Not like this. Not with everything going on." Her voice broke slightly. "I need to figure out who I am without all this."
I wanted to reach out, to hold her, to promise I'd be there through everything.
But I knew—some battles she had to face alone.
The night felt impossibly heavy as she turned away, leaving me standing there, heart raw and aching.
And for the first time, I realized that love wasn't always about holding on—it was sometimes about knowing when to let go.