The evening had settled into that quiet, golden hour where the office corridors finally exhaled. Most of the employees had left, their chatter fading into distant echoes, leaving behind a strange stillness that always made Riyana uneasy.
She packed her bag slowly, deliberately avoiding looking at Bosco's cabin. Things between them had shifted—softened, deepened—and while it made her heart lighter, it also made everything else… complicated.
Especially Alex.
She stepped out of the building, the cool air brushing against her face like a gentle warning. The parking lot was half-empty, streetlights flickering to life one by one.
And then she felt it.
That presence.
Not unfamiliar. Not imagined.
Real.
Her steps slowed, fingers tightening around her bag strap. She didn't turn immediately. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
But he spoke anyway.
"Riyana."
Her eyes shut briefly. Of course.
She turned, expression already hardened.
Alex stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, jaw tight. There was something off about him—something restless, something burning just beneath the surface.
"What are you doing here?" she asked flatly.
"I could ask you the same," he replied, taking a step closer.
"This is my office, Alex. Not yours."
A faint, humorless smile crossed his lips. "Still the same. Straight to the point."
"I don't have time for this," she said, turning away.
But he moved faster.
He stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
"Just talk to me for five minutes."
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Firm.
Unapologetic.
His expression flickered—hurt, then irritation.
"You won't even listen?"
"I've listened enough," she snapped. "There's nothing left to say."
"That's not true."
"It is for me."
She tried to walk past him again, but this time his hand shot out, gripping her wrist.
Not painfully.
But not gently either.
Riyana froze.
Her eyes dropped to his hand, then lifted slowly to meet his gaze.
"Leave my hand, Alex."
"Just hear me out," he insisted, voice tightening. "You're acting like I don't matter at all."
She pulled her hand back, sharper this time.
"You don't get to say that."
"Why not?" His voice rose slightly. "After everything—"
"Everything?" she cut him off, a bitter laugh escaping her. "You mean the lies? The manipulation? The way you made me question myself?"
"That's not fair!"
"It's exactly fair!"
Silence cracked between them, heavy and electric.
Alex ran a hand through his hair, pacing once like he was trying to contain something. "You're twisting things."
"I'm finally seeing them clearly."
"That guy—" he started, voice turning sharp, "—Bosco. He's the reason, isn't he?"
Riyana's expression changed instantly.
Colder.
"Don't bring him into this."
"Why not?" Alex scoffed. "You think I don't see it? The way you look at him?"
"That's none of your business."
"It becomes my business when you replace me like I was nothing!"
Her patience snapped.
"You were not replaced, Alex!" she shot back. "You destroyed what we had yourself."
"That's not true!"
"It is!" Her voice shook now—not with fear, but with anger she had buried for too long. "You don't get to come back and act like the victim."
"I am the victim here!" he barked.
Riyana stared at him, disbelief washing over her.
"That's… unbelievable."
Alex stepped closer again, too close.
"You just walked away from me."
"I walked away because I had to!"
"You didn't even try to fix it!"
"I tried for months!" she shouted. "You just didn't care enough to notice!"
The words hit harder than she expected.
For a second, something softened in his face.
But it didn't last.
Instead, his frustration twisted into something darker.
"You've changed," he muttered.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I have."
"And it's because of him."
"No," she replied, steady now. "It's because of me."
He shook his head, almost laughing, but there was no humor in it.
"You really think he's different?"
"I know he is."
"Everyone's the same, Riyana."
"Not everyone," she said, her voice softer now—but stronger.
Alex's jaw clenched.
"You trust him that much?"
"Yes."
That one word did it.
Something inside him snapped.
"Unbelievable," he muttered, running a hand over his face. "You trust him more than me?"
"I trust myself now," she corrected.
"That's not what I asked!"
"And I don't owe you answers anymore!"
The air between them felt suffocating.
Alex took another step forward, his movements sharper now, less controlled.
"You can't just erase me like this."
"I'm not erasing you," she said. "I'm moving on."
"You don't get to decide that alone!"
Her brows furrowed.
"I already did."
That was when his hand slammed against the car beside her.
The sudden sound made her flinch.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Enough for both of them to notice.
And that… changed everything.
For a split second, Alex froze.
He hadn't meant to scare her.
But he had.
Riyana took a step back now, her guard fully up.
"Don't," she said quietly.
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it carried something new.
A line.
A boundary.
One she wasn't going to let him cross.
Alex exhaled sharply, trying to regain control. "I didn't—"
"Don't," she repeated, firmer this time.
Silence.
The kind that forces truth to surface.
"You're getting aggressive," she said.
"I'm not—"
"You are."
Her words were calm.
Measured.
But they hit harder than any accusation.
"I'm just trying to talk to you!"
"No," she said. "You're trying to control the conversation."
"That's not fair—"
"And this?" she gestured between them. "This isn't normal, Alex."
He looked at her, something almost desperate flickering in his eyes.
"I just don't want to lose you."
Riyana's expression softened—but only slightly.
"You already did," she said.
The honesty in her voice was quiet.
Final.
And it landed.
Hard.
For a moment, Alex didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Just stood there, staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time.
Or maybe… realizing he no longer knew her at all.
"I'm not the same person anymore," she continued. "And I'm not going back to who I was with you."
His fists clenched at his sides.
"So that's it?"
"That's it."
"And him?" he asked bitterly.
She held his gaze.
"He's not the point of this."
"But he's there."
"Yes," she said.
No hesitation.
No guilt.
Just truth.
That hurt him more than anything else.
Alex let out a hollow laugh, stepping back finally.
"Wow."
Riyana didn't respond.
There was nothing left to say.
After a long pause, he nodded slowly, like he was forcing himself to accept something he didn't want to.
"Fine," he said. "Do whatever you want."
"I will."
Their eyes met one last time.
Not with love.
Not even with anger.
Just… distance.
Alex turned first, walking away without looking back.
Riyana stood there for a moment, her breath uneven, heart still racing from the confrontation.
But she didn't feel weak.
She didn't feel shaken.
She felt… steady.
Stronger than before.
After a few seconds, she finally moved, unlocking her car and slipping inside. Her hands trembled slightly as she started the engine, but her mind was clear.
She had drawn the line.
And this time…
She wasn't going to let anyone cross it.