I barely recognized the woman in it. She looked hopeful. Tired, but hopeful.
He held it out. I didn’t take it. I’m not that girl anymore, I said softly.
And you’re not that man. We’ve both changed. But only one of us learned from it.
Kyle’s voice cracked. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. You should, I replied.
Just then, the door creaked open. Grant stepped out, wiping his hands on a rag, not looking for drama, just standing beside me like he always did. Kyle glanced at him, then back at me.
He’s lucky. I am too, I said. He gave me a final nod.
No more words. No more begging. Just a quiet turn as he walked back down the path, shoulders low, hands in his pockets.
And that was it. He didn’t come back the next day. Or the next.
Something told me he wouldn’t again. That night, I sat with Grant on the porch. He handed me a warm mug, then gently squeezed my hand.
You okay? He asked. I nodded. I needed to say it out loud, to look him in the eye and let him know he didn’t win.
He didn’t. I leaned into his shoulder. You know the worst part? What? He still doesn’t understand that it wasn’t the prank that broke us.
It was everything that came before, and the silence that followed. Grant kissed the top of my head. Then he never really knew you.
No, I whispered. But you do. And for the first time in years, I wasn’t afraid of being found.
Because I had already found myself. Five years ago, I stood at a gas station with dust in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and no one looking for me. Now, I stood in a courthouse hallway, wearing a navy blue blazer and holding Grant’s hand.
Reporters whispered at the end of the corridor, their cameras already snapping photos from a distance. I’d been dreading this moment, but now that it was here, I felt something unexpected. Peace.
Inside the courtroom, Brad and Chase sat at the defense table in matching suits that couldn’t cover their nervous energy. They looked smaller somehow. Not physically, just pathetic.
The swagger was gone. No smug smiles. No recording devices in hand.
Their latest prank had gone too far. They had humiliated a young woman in front of her entire workplace, rigging her office with hidden cameras, shaving cream bombs, and fake eviction notices. All for clicks.
But this time, it wasn’t funny. She had a seizure from the panic and nearly died. That was the end of their fame.
The internet turned on them and the lawsuit brought them here, and they dragged Kyle in with them. He sat behind them, quiet, staring down at his hands. He looked like a man unraveling, caught between shame and helplessness.
When I walked in, his eyes met mine. For a moment, he looked like he might get up. But then he saw Grant beside me, calm, solid, and fully mine.
Kyle didn’t move after that. I took the witness stand that day, not because I wanted revenge, but because I wanted truth. The lawyer asked me to explain the gas station prank, the one that had made Brad and Chase go viral before their downfall.
I told the court what happened. The hours I waited. The fear.
The silence. But more than that, I explained what people don’t see when they watch a video for laughs. They don’t see the woman waking up from nightmares weeks later.
They don’t see the trust unraveling. The sense of safety replaced with suspicion. They don’t see the quiet decision to walk away from everything she’s ever known, because staying would mean slowly dying.
The courtroom was silent when I finished. Even the judge looked stunned. Brad shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Chase wouldn’t meet my eyes. Kyle? He looked like he wanted to disappear. After the session ended, I walked out into the bright sunlight, a rush of reporters behind me.
I ignored them all. Kyle followed me outside. Lena? I turned.
He paused. I just, I don’t know what I thought would happen. I do, I said calmly.
You thought I’d still be waiting. He looked like he wanted to argue, but no words came out. You didn’t come back for hours, I said.
Not that day. Not the next. Not ever.
You say you regret it, but what you regret isn’t what happened to me. It’s what you lost. He flinched.
I didn’t leave you because of a prank, Kyle. I left you because that prank showed me the truth. I didn’t matter to you.
Not in the way I deserved. He swallowed hard. And him? He glanced toward Grant, who stood near the courthouse steps, patiently watching.
Him? I repeated, a small smile forming. He didn’t find me when I was whole. He found me when I was broken.
And he never once tried to fix me. He just stood beside me while I healed myself. Kyle’s eyes watered.
Do you still hate me? I don’t hate you, I said honestly. I just don’t belong to you anymore. And with that, I turned.
I walked away from him without looking back. Grant met me halfway, slipping his hand into mine like it had always belonged there. You okay? He asked.
I nodded. I said everything I needed to say. We walked through the crowd and down the courthouse steps together.
The press shouted questions, but their voices faded behind us. The wind brushed through my hair and the sun felt warm on my face. I didn’t need to hide anymore.
I didn’t need to explain myself or justify the life I had built. Kyle stood at the top of the stairs, watching us. Alone.
The same way I had once stood on the side of a road watching him disappear. Only this time, I wasn’t the one left behind. I was the one walking forward.