Sofia didn't wait for him to respond. Because she already knew. Sometimes… silence says everything words can't. She turned away slowly. Not in anger. Not in frustration. But in something far more painful— acceptance.
Kenzo stood there, frozen. Watching her walk away again. But this time… it felt different. This time— it didn't feel like distance. It felt like losing her. "Sofia—wait." The words finally came out. Too late. But real.
She stopped. Her back still facing him. Her hands clenched slightly at her sides. "…What?" she asked softly. Her voice wasn't cold. But it wasn't warm either. It was tired.
Kenzo took a step forward. Then another. Until he was close enough to reach her. But not close enough to touch. "I don't want to lose you," he said. The words hung in the air. Heavy. Honest.
Sofia closed her eyes briefly. Because that— that was exactly the problem. "You already are," she whispered.
Kenzo's chest tightened. "No—"
"Yes," she interrupted softly. She turned around slowly. And when she faced him— her eyes said everything she hadn't been able to put into words. "You don't lose people all at once," she said. Her voice steady. But fragile underneath. "You lose them in moments." A pause. "In the things you don't say." Another pause. "In the times you choose to walk away."
Kenzo couldn't move. Because every word she said— was true.
"And eventually," she continued, "there's nothing left to hold on to."
Silence. The kind that doesn't ask for answers. Because it already knows them.
Kenzo shook his head slightly. "There's still something," he said.
Sofia smiled faintly. "There is." A pause. "But it's not enough."
That— hurt more than anything else. Because he felt it too. The connection. The pull. The something between them. But something… was missing. Something important. Something that made love stay.
Kenzo stepped closer. This time— close enough that the space between them almost disappeared. "Sofia," he said quietly. Her name sounded different now. Heavier. More real. "I'm trying," he added.
And that… was the truth.
Sofia looked at him. And for a moment— she wanted to believe him. She wanted to stay. To try. To hold on. But then— she remembered. All the moments he didn't choose her. All the silence. All the distance. All the times she felt alone… even when he was right there.
"Tried things don't always work," she said softly.
Kenzo's expression tightened. "Then what do you want me to do?" he asked.
Sofia hesitated. Because the answer was simple. But saying it— meant everything. "Choose me," she whispered.
Silence. Kenzo froze. Because that wasn't something he could say lightly. Because choosing her— meant commitment. It meant staying. It meant facing things he had spent years avoiding. It meant being vulnerable.
And that… terrified him. Sofia saw it. In his eyes. In his hesitation. In the way he didn't answer. And that— was enough.
Her smile faded gently. "I think that's my answer," she said.
Kenzo's heart dropped. "Sofia—"
But she stepped back. Not far. Just enough. Enough to create distance again. "I can't keep waiting for you to figure it out," she said softly. Her voice trembled slightly now. Because this— this was the hardest part. "I deserve someone who knows," she added.
Silence. Kenzo couldn't argue. Because she was right. And that… was what made it hurt the most.
Sofia looked at him one last time. Memorizing him. The way he stood. The way he looked at her. The way he almost— almost— felt like home.
"Goodbye, Kenzo." The words were soft. But final. And this time— she didn't stop. She didn't look back. She just walked away.
And Kenzo… did nothing. Because for the first time— he realized something too late. He had met someone worth staying for. And still— he let her go.
And just like that— They fell apart.
✨ End of Chapter 10