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    Sienna’s POV


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    I held the half-finishedtte cup in my hands. The steam had faded, no longer warm, its aroma blending faintly with the scent of cinnamon from the wooden table and the sweet bread on disy. Across from me, Sarah sat


    with a gaze far softer than when we first met. She seemed calmer now-perhaps because she’d said all she


    needed to, or maybe because she could see I was finally beginning to open up.


    me, those pauses felt


    We didn’t speak much after that. Just light conversation to fill the pauses. But for me, necessary. As if they gave my soul space to catch its breath.


    After sipping thest drop of her coffee, Sarah ced her cup down gently. “I hope you find what you’re


    looking for, Sienna. In life… and in your writing.” Her voice was soft, but steady.


    I could only nod. Not because I knew what I was looking for-because, truthfully, I didn’t—but because now, at


    least, I knew I had to start looking. That I couldn’t keep hiding behind the small seaside room and the tears I


    swallowed each night.


    We parted with a warm handshake. Sarah returned to her world of manuscripts and deadlines, and I returned


    to… I don’t know. Even as I stepped out of the café, I had no idea where I was going.


    My steps felt lighter, though my heart still carried a weight I couldn’t name. The sea breeze brushed against my


    face, carrying with it the lingering scent of coffee from my hair. This part of the city wasn’t as busy as


    downtown, but just lively enough to make me feel small amidst the stream of people, each with their own


    direction.


    I stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. I didn’t want to go back to the apartment just yet. It was too quiet. Too silent for a heart that had just cracked open again.


    Suddenly, I thought of Liliana. She was the only person who knew I was in this city-only because I’d


    mentioned her name when filling out my temporary housing form. But I hadn’t really tried to reach her.


    I slipped my hand into my bag, searching for my phone, which had remained off since this morning. Since I’d


    left that house… I hadn’t turned it on once.


    A strange feeling stirred in me as my finger pressed the power button. The screen lit up slowly, the brand logo appearing first, then a flood of notifications. I held my breath as the home screen came into view, hoping–just a little-that there’d be a message from the name that had haunted my thoughts every night.


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    But there was nothing.


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    Only missed calls. Twenty of them. All from the first two days after I left. Day three, four, and now… nothing. Liam had stopped calling. Stopped texting. As if… he’d stopped looking for me.


    My chest tightened. I wanted to lie to myself, to say maybe he was busy. Maybe he was angry. But I knew better.


    If someone truly wanted to find you, they wouldn’t stop on day two.


    I lowered my head and closed my eyes, trying to swallow the sharp ache rising from somewhere deep inside me.


    But before I could fall too far, my phone vibrated.


    Iing call. Liliana.


    I inhaled, steadied myself, and answered.


    “Sienna?” Her voice hit my ear loud and clear-panic, anger, and worry all tangled together. “Are you out of your mind?! Disappearing for days like that! Did you think I wouldn’t be worried?!”


    I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry, Liliana. I just… needed time.”


    “Time?” she scoffed. “If you needed time, just say so! Don’t vanish off the face of the earth. I almost came looking for you, God knows where.”


    A small smile tugged at my lips. She sounded harsh, but I knew it was because she cared.


    “I missed you,” I said finally. “Want to grab dinner? At our usual spot?”


    There was a brief silence on the other end. Then her sigh softened.


    “You’re paying.”


    “Of course.”


    “Alright. I’ll be there in thirty.”


    The call ended. I stared at the screen for a few seconds before slipping the phone back into my bag. There were still no messages from Liam. But right now, I didn’t feel like waiting anymore. My heart was too tired to keep hoping for something that never came.


    I started walking down the sidewalk, leaving the café behind. My steps felt a little lighter-though not entirely free from pain. But maybe, just maybe, my conversation with Sarah earlier… and now with Liliana… was the beginning of something new.


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    Steps that no longer depended on a single name, a single man, or a past I’d clutched too tightly for too long.


    The evening breeze brushed my cheek, carrying the scent of dried flowers from a small street stall nearby. The city never truly sleeps, but between the hum of traffic and people’s hurried footsteps, I found a kind of silence I’d once feared-now, I began to understand it as space. Space to see myself clearly, without anyone’s shadow.


    I caught my reflection in the ss window of a clothing store. My hair was a little messy, my eyes still swollen, and my smile faint. But it was me. Not the version of Sienna Liam once knew. Not the version who always tried to please everyone. Just me-a woman who was hurting, but still choosing to walk forward.


    GET IT N…


    11:14 AM Tue 2 Sep