Weeks passed, and everything seemed to return to normal. Mia and Alex continued dating, and surprisingly, her father no longer interfered. He didn’t express approval, but he didn’t try to stop her either.
Ethan, on the other hand, had completely disappeared from her life. He never called, never texted, and her father never mentioned him again. It was as if he had vanished.
At first, Mia didn’t think much of it. He had told her to forget, after all. Maybe he was just moving on, just like she was. But as time went on, an unsettling feeling grew in her heart.
One evening, as Mia sat with Alex at a small café near their school, she found herself zoning out, stirring her coffee absentmindedly.
"You seem distracted," Alex said, watching her closely.
Mia snapped out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh… no, I’m fine."
Alex leaned forward. "Are you thinking about Ethan?"
The question caught her off guard. "What? No, of course not."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "You’re a bad liar, Mia."
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "It’s just… doesn’t it feel weird? How he just disappeared? No news, no nothing. He was supposed to be my fiancé, and now he’s just… gone."
Alex shrugged. "Maybe he just wants to start over, you know? He was probably hurt."
Mia frowned. Hurt? Was Ethan really the one who had been hurt? She had been the one trapped in an arranged marriage. She had been the one fighting for her freedom.
But then she remembered his pale face in the hospital, the way his mother had fed him with such care, the exhaustion in his eyes.
Did I… really hurt him that much?
That night, Mia found herself lying awake in bed, staring at her phone. Before she could stop herself, she opened her contacts and scrolled down to Ethan’s name.
Her thumb hovered over the call button.
But after a long pause, she sighed and locked her phone.
No.
Ethan had asked her to forget him. So she would.
Or at least, she would try.
Moreover, she was the one who had pushed him away. From the very beginning, she had never cared about his feelings. She had hated the idea of the engagement so much that she never once stopped to consider what Ethan felt about it.
Now that everything was over, she realized she had never really known him. She had assumed he was just like her father—controlling, selfish, forcing her into a future she didn’t want. But Ethan had been different. He had understood her, had even chosen to let her go despite everything.
Mia sat up in bed, hugging her knees.
Why does it feel so wrong now that he’s gone?
She shook her head. No. She wasn’t going to think about this anymore. Ethan was in the past. She was with Alex now, and that was all that mattered.
The next few days, Mia forced herself to focus on her relationship with Alex. They went on dates, studied together, and spent time at his house. Alex treated her well—he always knew the right things to say, always made her laugh.
But something felt... off.
Mia couldn’t put her finger on it at first. But the more time she spent with Alex, the more she started noticing little things.
Like how he always asked questions about her family’s wealth.
Like how he seemed more interested in the privileges she had rather than her as a person.
One afternoon, as they sat together in the school garden, Alex casually asked, “So, do you have access to your dad’s business accounts?”
Mia blinked. “What?”
Alex laughed. “I mean, not like I’m asking for money or anything. I was just curious. Your family is really powerful, you know? It must feel amazing to have everything at your fingertips.”
Mia forced a smile, but unease settled in her chest.
She had been so desperate to be with Alex, to prove to her father that she could choose her own future, that she had never stopped to question his true intentions.
And now, for the first time, she was starting to wonder—
Had she made the wrong choice?
One special day, the school had an excursion to visit a big company unknown to her that it belongs to Ethan.......
As they all entered looking around, they all split around, mia was looking for the toilet when she suddenly bumped into him,
Mia stumbled back slightly, blinking in surprise. She hadn't seen Ethan in weeks, and now, here he was, standing right in front of her. He looked different—not in appearance, but in presence. There was a certain weight to him now, a quiet confidence that hadn't been there before.
"Ethan..." she breathed, a genuine smile forming on her lips.
He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Mia." His voice was calm, polite, but distant.
Mia's excitement faltered slightly. "I didn't know this was your company," she said, trying to keep the conversation going.
"It is," he replied simply, his tone neutral.
Mia felt an odd tension in the air. The Ethan she remembered had always been warm, always had that small, knowing smile whenever he spoke to her. But now... he was different.
"I—I've missed you," she admitted, hoping to break whatever wall had been built between them.
Ethan's gaze flickered for a moment before he said, "I hope you're doing well, Mia. Enjoy the excursion."
And with that, he stepped aside and walked past her, as if she were just another visitor in his company.
Mia stood there, frozen.
She had expected something different. Maybe a soft smile, maybe some teasing like before. But instead, she had gotten nothing.
For the first time, she realized—
Ethan had truly moved on.