The next few days were strained. Mia had withdrawn completely, her absence from his office and his life more palpable than ever. Ethan couldn't ignore the fact that the distance between them had grown, and with it, the sense that he was losing her.
In the middle of a particularly heated meeting with his board members, Ethan's phone buzzed. It was a message from Mia:
We need to talk.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
He excused himself from the meeting, his mind racing as he made his way to her apartment. The words from their last conversation echoed in his head. Had she truly meant what she said? Was she walking away from him—for good?
When he arrived at her apartment, the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open, calling her name softly.
"Mia?"
There was no response.
He stepped inside, scanning the room. Then he saw her, sitting by the window, staring out at the city below.
"Mia?" he asked again, his voice gentler now.
She turned to him, her eyes red from crying. "I didn't want to hurt you, Ethan. I didn't want this to be more than what it was supposed to be."
Ethan walked toward her, his breath shaky. "Mia, please..."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I never meant for this to go on for so long. I never wanted to be... this person. But I don't know how to be anyone else."
Ethan knelt down in front of her, his hand reaching for hers. "You don't have to be anyone else, Mia. You're enough. You've always been enough."
Mia met his gaze, her tears falling freely now. "I don't know how to believe that."
Ethan's heart ached as he pulled her into his arms. "I'll show you. I'll prove it to you