Chapter Fourteen: Not a Fairytale
Feifei knew better than to believe in fairytales.
Life didn't wrap itself up neatly. People didn't magically stop hurting. Love didn't erase wounds—it revealed them.
And yet, something real was growing.
Kael walked beside her as they left school one evening, the sky painted in soft oranges and grays.
"Do you ever think about what comes next?" he asked.
She considered the question.
"All the time," she said. "And also… not at all."
He smiled slightly. "That sounds like you."
They stopped at the corner where their paths usually split.
"I don't want this to be something that fixes us," Feifei said suddenly.
Kael looked at her seriously. "I don't either."
She exhaled, relieved. "I want it to be something that fits."
"That's better," he said. "Fairytales don't last. But choices do."
They didn't hold hands.
Didn't promise forever.
But when they looked at each other, there was understanding instead of expectation.
As Feifei walked home alone, she felt steady.
She wasn't healed completely.
She wasn't fearless.
She wasn't perfect.
But she was honest.
And that mattered more than any perfect ending.