impersonal texts exchanged between them. Every time they made plans to meet, something seemed to come u

en them. She pulled on her coat and made her way to his apartment, her mind racing with every possible outcome of the conversation. As she approached his b

r chest. She heard footsteps inside, and after what felt like an eternity,

ing aside to let her in.

r voice trembling slightl

he closed the door behind her. "Okay," he said cautio

n on her. She didn't want to be the one to start this, to bring up what was going wrong, but

, her voice quiet but firm. "You're here, bu

He didn't respond right away, and the

t was clear to Claire that there was more t

"We used to talk about everything. We used to share our lives. But lately, it fe

sighing heavily. "It's

eep pretending that everything is fine when it's not. I do

r the first time in weeks, she saw something

id quietly. "But I don't know if

t sank. "What

career, the gallery – it's all happening, and I'm trying to keep up. I'm scared, Claire. I'm scared I'm

ood up, her eyes filling with tears she hadn't expec

t you, Claire. More than I've cared about anyone in a long time. But right now... I feel like I

. "You're not pulling me down. I've been here, waiting, wanting to support you, but you've

his hair, looking torn. "

aid, her voice breaking. "I can't keep doing

t pounded in her chest as she waited for James to say

e so soft she could barely hea

embling as she wiped away her tears. "Then maybe we need to tak

t argue, might beg her not to go. But he didn't. He just st

e right," he

cks. She felt like she was falling apart inside, but s

ched for the handle, she paused, hoping – praying – that James would

he d

out of his apartment and into the cold night air, feeling the weigh

-

ge, but the heartbreak lingered, seeping into everything she wrote. Friends checked in on her, sensing that something was wrong

d though part of her wanted to reach out, to try to fix what had broken, she knew

last, and every time her phone buzzed, she found herself

would end – not with a grand fight or a dramatic goodbye, but with silence

t always enough. No matter how much she had cared for James, no matter how deeply she had fallen for him, it hadn't b