The air was heavy with mist that morning. The street was quiet except for the hum of distant traffic and the steady roll of Aira's suitcase wheels against the pavement. She had just crossed the road when the sharp screech of tires broke the silence.
A black car came to a halt beside her, almost too suddenly. The door swung open, and out stepped Mr. Langford. His usually calm face was strained, his eyes frantic as they landed on her figure.
"Aira?" His voice cracked with disbelief. "What is this I'm hearing? You're leaving?"
She stopped, her suitcase still in her hand, her posture straight and cold. Slowly, she turned her head. Her expression was calm—too calm—like a frozen lake that refused to reveal the storm beneath."Yes," she said flatly.
The word gutted him more than a scream would have.
Mr. Langford closed the distance between them in a few steps, his brows furrowing deeply. "Without telling me?" His voice carried a raw edge, almost a plea.
Aira's gaze flickered briefly, but then drifted away to the empty road ahead. "I didn't think it mattered anymore."
Those words struck him harder than any blade. His chest tightened. He had never imagined hearing her speak like that—to him.
"It matters," he insisted, almost desperately now. He reached out slightly, though his hand hovered in the air, uncertain. "You matter. Tell me what's going on. Is this about what happened? The engagement? The blame?"
Her silence cut sharper than words. She just looked at him, her eyes like glass—clear, but impossible to read. The mist between them thickened, and the weight of everything unsaid pressed heavily in the air.
"Aira…" his voice lowered, trembling, "don't go like this. Let me help you. We can fix this."
Finally, she blinked slowly, then met his gaze. Her voice, when it came, was soft but cold enough to shatter him."Nothing can be fixed. What's broken in me wasn't caused in a day."
His throat worked as if swallowing shards. "Then let me at least try. Please… stay."
For a moment, she took a step closer. His heart almost leapt—hope sparked in his chest. But then her words crushed it to ash."You were the only one who ever truly saw me… but even you couldn't stop them from tearing me apart."
Mr. Langford's breath caught. His hand fell uselessly to his side as guilt clawed at him. He bowed his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I didn't know… Aira, I didn't know how deep it went. I didn't see it… not until that day Alec brought you out."
Her eyelids fluttered shut for a second, and he glimpsed a flicker of pain—brief, fleeting—before her mask settled back. "That day… a part of me died," she said quietly. "And this is what's left."
He shook his head furiously, as though refusing to accept it. "At least tell me where you're going. Let me do something."
Her answer was almost tender, yet it cut him just the same."Your kindness has always been both a wound and a comfort. But I need to disappear… and you can't stop me."
Mr. Langford clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles pale, his breath unsteady. His voice broke as he asked, "Liam doesn't know, does he?"
Her reply came instantly. "He doesn't need to."
The weight of that truth made his chest ache. "He'll hate me for not telling him," he murmured, almost to himself.
Aira's eyes softened for just a breath, but her words were merciless. "Then let him. Hatred is a familiar language to me."
Desperation pushed him to reach for her hand at last, but before his fingers could touch her, she stepped back. The movement was slow, deliberate, and it carved a canyon between them.
"Don't make this harder than it already is."
His hand hung in the air for a moment, then fell. He looked at her with eyes that burned—not with anger, but with helpless sorrow. His voice was hoarse. "Will I ever see you again?"
The pause before her reply was long, suffocating. Finally, she turned her head toward the road stretching out ahead. "If fate is cruel enough… maybe."
With that, she shifted her suitcase handle and began to walk. The wheels rolled steadily behind her. She didn't look back. She didn't hesitate.
Mr. Langford stood frozen on the street, the morning mist swallowing her small figure as she disappeared. His hands shook as he lowered them to his sides. The girl he once knew—the girl who used to smile with warmth and innocence—was gone.
And in his heart, one truth twisted like a knife.
When Liam found out, he would never forgive him.