That moment stayed with me…
long after it ended.
The way she held her head…
the way her eyes filled with tears…
the way she looked at me—
like she almost knew everything.
It scared me.
Not because she was remembering…
but because of what those memories would do to her.
Pain.
Loss.
That moment on the road…
where she watched me die.
I couldn't let her feel that again.
Not again.
That night…
I stood alone under the same sky.
The same silence.
But everything felt heavier.
"How long will you keep running from the truth?"
That voice again.
I didn't even turn.
"I'm not running," I said quietly.
"I'm protecting her."
The shadow appeared beside me—
calm… unreadable… familiar.
"Or are you protecting yourself?" it asked.
I clenched my fists.
"You don't understand…"
It stepped closer.
"I understand more than you think."
I turned to face it.
"Then tell me… what happens if she remembers everything?"
The shadow looked at me for a moment.
Then said—
"She will remember your love…
but also your death."
My chest tightened.
"And that pain…
will break her again."
Silence.
That was my answer.
That was my fear.
I looked away.
"Then I won't let her remember," I said firmly.
The shadow smiled faintly—
"You can delay it…
but you can't stop it."
Those words hit deep.
Because somewhere…
I knew it was true.
The more she stayed close to me…
the more her heart would try to remember.
The more her soul would recognize mine.
The next day…
I made a decision.
I would stay away from her.
Completely.
No more accidental meetings.
No more conversations.
No more chances for her to remember.
Because loving her…
meant protecting her.
Even if it meant losing her again.
Days passed.
I avoided every place she could be.
Every moment that could bring us together.
But fate…
never really lets you go that easily.
One evening—
as I was leaving the campus—
I saw her.
Standing right in front of me.
As if she had been waiting.
"You're really good at disappearing," she said softly.
I stayed silent.
Because if I spoke…
I might not be able to leave again.
She stepped closer.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
Her voice…
carried hurt.
Real hurt.
I forced myself to stay distant.
"You're misunderstanding things," I said coldly.
Her eyes filled instantly.
"No… I'm not."
She shook her head.
"I don't know who you are…
but I know one thing…"
She stepped even closer.
"When you're near…
I feel something I can't explain."
My heart broke all over again.
But I didn't move.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
"But you're wrong."
Those words…
hurt me more than they hurt her.
She stared at me…
as if waiting for me to take them back.
But I didn't.
Because this time...
loving her meant pushing her away.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Fine…" she whispered.
"If that's what you want…"
She stepped back slowly.
And then—
she turned away.
Walking away from me.
Just like I once walked away from her.
But this time...
it felt final.
I stood there…
unable to move.
Because I knew—
this wasn't just distance…
this was me choosing to lose her.