The sun had dipped lower, painting the sea with streaks of gold and gray. Aiyumi sat on the wet sand, knees hugged to her chest, her hair plastered to her face from the wind and tears.
Ren stood a few meters away, silent, cold, unyielding — as if her suffering meant nothing. Each harsh word, each scold, each push of his hand in anger had cut her deeper than the waves cutting the shore.
> "Ren… please…" she whispered again, trembling. "I can't… I can't take it if you keep… hurting me."
His jaw tightened. He didn't say a word. He didn't soften.
Something inside her snapped quietly, painfully. Her chest ached, but beneath it, a strange clarity bloomed. She couldn't keep losing herself for someone who couldn't see her heart, someone who could keep hurting her without remorse.
> "I love him… but I won't let myself break for him anymore," she thought. "I deserve respect. I deserve to be seen… and I can't wait for him to change."
She stood slowly, water seeping into her shoes, hair plastered to her face, eyes still wet. She picked up her sketchbook — her memories, her pain, her love — pressed it tightly to her chest.
> "I… I won't talk to him again," she whispered to herself, voice trembling but firm. "Not because I don't love him… but because I love myself enough to walk away."
Ren watched her, silent, expression unreadable. He didn't move. He didn't speak. And in that moment, she realized something: she didn't need his approval or his love to matter.
Aiyumi walked toward the edge of the pier, each step heavy but determined. The sea roared beneath her, wind tugging at her clothes, carrying away her sobs and her fear. She didn't look back.
Her heart ached, yes — every inch of her being longed for him — but she carried with her a small, fragile fire: the fire of self-respect.
For the first time in months, she was choosing herself.
And maybe… someday, that choice would either bring him back to her, or finally let her heal.
The waves crashed endlessly, echoing the storm inside her — but for the first time, she felt a quiet, defiant strength in the midst of it all.