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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: The Long Goodbye

Two months passed. Two long, torturous months of silence.

Debbie had gone no contact, deleting every trace of Pasco

from her digital life. She told herself it was for the best, that

this distance would finally allow her to heal.

But the void he left was overwhelming.

Every now and then, she would catch glimpses of him in the

stories of mutual friends. Pasco laughing, surrounded by

people, seemingly thriving. It hurt to see how easily he

seemed to move on, as though her absence didn't matter.

One night, unable to hold it in any longer, Debbie poured

her heart into a message. She had written and rewritten it a

dozen times, deleting each draft before settling on her final

words.

Debbie's Message:

I've spent months trying to understand how we ended up here.

When you came back, I let myself believe that maybe, just

maybe, we could have a second chance. But your actions keep

telling me otherwise.

I gave everything I had to our relationship, even when we were

miles apart. I stayed loyal, held onto hope, and believed in us.

But you… you disappeared when I needed you the most. You

left me questioning my worth, wondering what I did wrong,

why I wasn't enough.

I've tried to be patient, to give you time, but it's clear now that time won't change anything. You say you care, but caring isn't leaving someone on delivered for days. Caring isn't keeping

someone waiting for answers that never come. You've let me down in ways I can't even put into words, and it hurts more

than I can explain.

I deserve more than silence. I deserve someone who shows up,who values me the way I valued you. I'm done holding onto the hope that you'll change, because I can't keep breaking my own heart waiting for you.

Goodbye, Pasco. I hope you find whatever it is you're re looking for, but I can't keep waiting for you to figure it out.

With trembling hands, she hit send.

The message was marked as delivered, but the "read" status never appeared.

Two days passed.

Debbie checked her phone obsessively, each time feeling the sting of rejection. When she finally accepted that he wasn't

going to reply, she deleted the conversation, along with his number.