The New Year arrived, but I felt no sense of renewal. Instead, it brought the painful awareness that our relationship was hanging by a thread. Mia had made her decision, and I could feel her slipping away from me, like a dream fading upon waking.
One night, I found her packing a bag. "Mia, where are you going?" I asked, my heart racing.
"I need to leave, Bornwell. I can't stay here and pretend anymore," she said, her voice steady but her eyes betraying her turmoil.
"Please, don't do this. We can work through it together," I begged, desperation clawing at my throat.
She looked at me, and for a moment, I saw the girl I fell in love with. But it quickly vanished, replaced by a resolve I couldn't break. "I need to find myself, Bornwell. I can't do that here, with you."
In that moment, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. The girl I loved was leaving, and all I could do was stand there, paralyzed by grief and confusion. "Why me?" echoed in my mind, a mantra of sorrow.