Sophia managed a faint, trembling smile. “Thank you.”

Ethan remained still beside her, his expression unreadable.

As he turned to leave, her fingers quickly caught the edge of his shirt.

She refused to let him walk away so easily.

“Ethan,” she whispered, her voice fragile but clear. “Could you stay? Just for a little while? I’m scared.”

He paused, his gaze shifting with hesitation.

“Please,” she added softly, sensing his internal conflict.

He released a slow breath and finally nodded.

Ethan moved to the chair beside her bed and sat down, his eyes resting on her.

“Alright,” he said quietly.

Silence settled heavily in the room.

Sophia lay still, staring blankly at the ceiling. After a long pause, she spoke again. “Ethan, do you remember how things used to be between us?”

He remained silent, listening.

“We were so young back then,” she continued, her voice tinged with nostalgia. “I felt like nothing could ever go wrong.” A subtle frown touched Ethan’s brow.

“Then everything changed…” Her voice wavered. “I went abroad. We grew apart.”

“Sophia,” Ethan interrupted, his tone firm. “That’s in the past now.”

“I can’t forget,” she confessed, turning her tear-filled eyes toward him. “I just can’t.”

“I never stopped loving you, Ethan…” Her voice broke, raw and vulnerable. “Every day, I wondered if you’d come back to me… if we could try again.”

Ethan exhaled slowly, his gaze steady and detached.

“Could you… give me another chance?” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, pleading. “Please, Ethan. I’ll do better this time. I’ll love you the way you deserve. I promise—”

“Sophia.” His voice cut through her words, cold and final. “It’s over.”

A sharp breath caught in her throat before the tears fell. She buried her face in trembling hands, sobs shaking her weakened frame.

“Get some rest.”

Without another word, Ethan turned and walked out of the room, not once looking back. Sophia’s tears soaked into the pillow as she bit her lip, trying to stifle the cries tearing through her.

“Why…” she whispered brokenly. “Why…”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Her hands clenched the blanket, nails digging deep into the fabric until her knuckles turned white.

“Isabella! This is all your fault!”