Page 182 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

Victor just stood there beneath the cold yellow lights, crying quietly while the distance between us finally became real.

And so, before I could lose the strength to do it, I stepped back.

Looked at him… one last heartbreaking time.

Then turned and walked away.

CHAPTER 20

JAMES’ ALWAYS

The city blurred around me in streaks of headlights and neon signs, a few people brushing past without noticing the war happening inside my heart.

Because inside me, everything was collapsing.

Completely.

A slow destruction I had spent months trying to hold together with trembling hands.

It felt like a building finally giving out after carrying too much weight for too long.

And the worst part was that I still loved him while it was happening.

I crossed the street without fully being present.

Passed storefronts glowing gold against the night.

Heard laughter somewhere nearby that felt like it belonged to another universe entirely.

Meanwhile, my chest felt like it was caving inward.

Even breathing hurt.

I kept swallowing hard, blinking quickly, trying so desperately to keep myself together long enough to go home.

Because there was something humiliating about falling apart in public—about becoming visibly heartbroken.

So I held it in.

Held it in.

Until I reached the bus stop.

The fluorescent light above it flickered faintly, bathing everything in a pale glow that made the city feel colder somehow.

I stood there alone, arms wrapped around myself, staring at the road while the storm inside me grew louder and louder and louder.

My throat burned from trying not to cry.

Because I had done it.

I had finally walked away.

I had finally fought for myself.

I had finally chosen myself.

So why did it feel like something inside me had just died?