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    Sienna’s POV


    6 50%


    My stomach felt warm and full, the lingering aroma of seafood fried rice still rising from the te in front of me as I leaned back into the plush seat of the family-style restaurant. The cool air from the AC brushed gently against my face-a wee contrast after a long, emotionally draining day.


    I looked around. The restaurant wasn’t fancy, but it feltforting. The décor was simple: warm, dim lighting, dark brown leather-covered wooden chairs, and walls painted in earthy tones. A few families sat at nearby tables, childrenughing, couples speaking in soft tones with shared smiles. There was life here—a kind of


    calm, unrushed life that seemed more certain than mine.


    Sienna, you’re okay here, I whispered to myself. At least for tonight.


    I leaned back, letting my body rx. The exhaustion wasn’t just physical-it lived in my thoughts, in the


    constant reel of memories ying behind my eyes. Noah’s face, hisugh when I’d chase him through the park,


    the way his innocent questions always melted me. But with those memories came images of Liam too-his


    distant stare, the quiet that had grown between us, the way he had started to feel unreachable.


    I stared at the table. Between the scattered cutlery and half-empty tes, I caught a glimpse of my reflection.


    My hair was a little messy, my face looked tired. But in my eyes-those same eyes now mirrored in the spoon-


    there was something new: courage.


    Leaving doesn’t always mean giving up. Sometimes, it’s the only way to survive. I couldn’t keep being the one waiting-waiting to be seen, to be heard, to be loved the way I deserved.


    I thought of Sarah, Liliana, and even the strangers who’d brushed past my life in the past week. Each of them


    had touched something tender in me, whether through honesty, advice, or just their quiet presence. Through


    them, I’d begun to understand something: I didn’t have to do this alone. But I also couldn’t keep hinging my healing on just one name.


    Liliana sat across from me, sipping thest of her drink, absently stirring her spoon in the nearly empty te. We hadn’t said much since dinner ended-maybe because I looked so worn, or maybe she was giving me space. Either way, her presence alone had steadied me.


    “I should go,” I said atst, my voice soft but firm.


    Liliana looked up quickly, her expression shifting like a child asked to stop ying too soon.


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    “I’ming with you,” she said immediately.


    I shook my head with a smile. “No, Liliana. I need to write tonight. My deadline’s in a few days.”


    ? 50%


    She pouted the way she always did when she didn’t agree but knew she couldn’t argue. “I’m still worried, Sienna. You’re not fully back yet. You never go off the grid like that without a word.”


    I sighed quietly. The guilt pressed against my chest. She was right. I had disappeared without a single


    exnation—not even a reply to her messages. But I needed space, and stubborn as she was, Liliana was one of


    the few people who understood that without demanding too much.


    “I know,” I said gently. “But I’m okay now. I just… need to be alone tonight. To write. Really.”


    She studied me for a moment, then finally exhaled and slumped back in her seat.


    “Okay,” she said softly, though the worry still lingered in her face. “But promise me we’ll meet again


    tomorrow. And you’ll look brighter. Promise.”


    I nodded with a smallugh. “Promise.”


    Liliana suddenly stood and grabbed her bag. “I’m going to the restroom. Be right back.”


    As she walked away, the silence at the table returned. I stared at my half-finished orange juice, watching tiny


    bubbles gather on the surface as I tried to quiet the ache in my chest. The gentle clinking of utensils from


    nearby tables,ughter from a family in the corner, and the soft hum of acoustic music ying overhead felt


    distant-like the rest of the world was moving on, while I was stuck.


    I slouched a little deeper into my seat. In the glow of the warm lights, Liam’s image floated back into my mind


    -his deep gaze, the way he used to smile, the tenderness in the way he held Noah. The memories came


    uninvited. I hated how easily I remembered him. But more than that, I hated how much I still missed him.


    I thought leaving would make things easier. That time and distance would clear my mind and help me find the


    pieces of myself I’d lost. But the nights were still long. And the mornings still came with the same emptiness.


    No matter how hard I tried to focus on writing, my thoughts always drifted back to the small house I left


    behind. To one name I could never erase from my heart: Noah.


    I wrapped my hands around my wrist atop the table, trying to steady my heartbeat. How is he now? I wondered. Has he stopped crying for me? Or worse… has he started to forget me? The thought sliced deep. I nced at the restaurant window, my reflection faint in the ss-pale, tired, but still standing.


    I looked outside. The streemps glowed a muted yellow. A few cars passed slowly. The world felt like it was


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    moving slower tonight, and oddly, I didn’t feel as lonely as before.


    Maybe it was Liliana.


    50%


    Or maybe, just maybe… I was starting to make peace with the loneliness. I wasn’t healed yet. I hadn’t found the


    missing spark in my writing. But tonight… I was enough.


    I inhaled slowly, steadying my nerves. Liliana still hadn’t returned from the restroom, and I considered going


    up to pay the bill. Maybe it was time to head back to the quiet space I now called safety. But just as I began to


    rise, the ss door of the restaurant swung open.


    In the next second, my heart felt like it dropped.


    They walked in together. Liam was in front, gently guiding Noah, who looked half-asleep and half-cranky.


    Behind them, Emily stepped lightly, her smile calm-too calm. Toofortable.


    I quickly lowered my head, my hand reaching reflexively for the menu on the table to cover my face. My breath


    caught in my throat. Was this real? I blinked, hoping maybe it was just my imagination. But no. Noah’s voice—


    so familiar—rang out clearly. Hisughter. The way he tugged on Liam’s hand and pointed at something on the


    restaurant wall. It was all too real.


    I froze in my seat. I couldn’t keep looking at them, but I couldn’t tear my gaze awaypletely either. Slowly, I


    lifted my head just enough to see. And there they were.


    Laughing together. Like aplete family that had lost nothing.


    GET IT N…


    11:15 AM Tue 2 Sep