The street was quiet, almost too quiet, as I approached Daniel's apartment.
The sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows that crawled along the sidewalk, brushing against my heels like whispers of doubt.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
Saraph had dropped me off a few houses away, her hand resting briefly on mine before I stepped out.
"Remember, Nuella… no matter what happens, you're not walking away from this weak. You're walking away wiser."
Her words echoed in my ears now, keeping me grounded as I climbed the small steps to Daniel's door.
I raised my hand, hesitated, then finally knocked three soft raps that seemed to echo louder than they should have.
Footsteps.
Light ones. Not Daniel's.
Then the door opened.
And there she stood.
Not in the shadows. Not in a rumor. Not in a blurry photo. But here, real, polished, beautiful in that cruel kind of way.
She wore one of Daniel's old jerseys, his jersey. Her hair was damp, fresh from a shower.
Her face lit up for a split second, mistaking me for someone else, then it fell as her eyes scanned mine, instantly registering who I was.
Before I could say a word, I heard it.
"Baby?" Daniel's voice floated from somewhere inside the apartment, casual and affectionate.
"Who's at the door?"
Then his footsteps followed, unhurried, and he appeared behind her barefoot, wearing sweatpants, a towel slung over one shoulder.
He was smiling.
Until he saw me.
Our eyes locked. Time stopped.
He froze. No words. No gestures. Just a chasm of silence stretching between us.
"Baby?" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper, brittle with disbelief.
"That's what she is to you now?"
Daniel stepped forward instinctively, reaching out like he could somehow pull the moment back.
I didn't move.
"What did I do to you?" My voice cracked, all the moments of trust falling apart with every syllable.
"I was honest. Loyal. I even ignored Jace, do you remember that? For you. Because you said we had something real."
The girl turned to Daniel sharply, brows drawn.
"Who is this?" she asked, her voice clipped and pointed.
Daniel didn't answer.
She narrowed her eyes, stepping toward me now, defiant and territorial.
"Who are you?" she demanded again, then scoffed when Daniel still said nothing.
"Well then," she said with venom, "let me do the honors.
I don't know what you think you are to him, but I'm the one who's been dating Daniel for years. Years.
I won't let you ruin what we have."
My heart stopped. Not weeks. Not months.
Years.
I turned to Daniel, eyes brimming.
"You had a girlfriend all this time?" I whispered. "Everything you said, everything we were, was just a lie?"
He stood there, mouth opening then closing like he couldn't find the right words.
Not even an apology came.
Just that haunted, useless silence.
I couldn't breathe. My chest felt like it was being crushed under the weight of betrayal.
"I can't do this," I murmured, turning away, stumbling back down the steps.
That's when I felt his hand closing gently around my wrist.
"Nuella, please," he said, voice breaking, "I can explain."
I yanked my hand free, not with anger, but with exhaustion.
Deep, bone-tired disappointment.
"Don't," I said, not looking back. "Don't say another word. There's nothing left to explain."
And then I ran.
Not because I was afraid, but because if I stayed, I knew I'd shatter.
I needed to get away before the tears poured, before the sobs claimed me.
I ran until Daniel's voice faded behind me, until the echoes of the confrontation drowned in the hum of the city, until I found Saraph waiting just down the road.
I collapsed into her arms, breathless, not from the running, but from the heartbreak.
She didn't say, "I told you so." She didn't ask, "What happened?"
She simply held me, arms around my shoulders like a shelter from the world, and whispered, "You did what you had to do.
You saw the truth for yourself. And now… we heal."
And in that moment, I knew.
I had lost Daniel. But I had found my truth.
And sometimes, the truth is the most painful gift of all.