ღHello, Exღ

I felt proud of that grand entrance. That confidence? It washed away any lingering bitterness in me. Once I found a seat, I carefully placed my bag on the chair beside me, took out my compact mirror to check my reflection, then tucked it neatly back into my CHANEL purse.

And that’s when I noticed him.

Right across from me sat a guy sipping apple juice—eyes locked on me. I grimaced instinctively. He looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had seen him before. When our eyes met, he flashed me a cocky little smile.

I raised an eyebrow. What’s this guy’s problem? He’s weird—but strangely familiar. Or maybe I’m just being paranoid. Whatever.

I ignored him. I wasn’t the slightest bit interested. Even if he was hotter than Adam Levine, I didn’t care. I focused on picking something off the menu instead—I was starving.

"You’re not bitter, are you?" said a voice out of nowhere.

I slammed the menu down, ready to snap—and froze.

There he was.

The apple juice guy. Sitting across my table now, stirring his drink with his straw like it was the most casual thing in the world.

"What the... why are you here?" I snapped, seriously considering stabbing him with my heels.

“Am I not allowed to sit here?” he asked, all innocent, as if he didn’t just crash my peace.

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes. Because I don’t know you. And if you’re here because you think I’m pretty, the most you’ll get is an autograph.”

He blinked, caught off guard, but I didn’t care.

“Conceited much?” he muttered. “Just because you look different now doesn’t mean you can act all snobby.”

“And what does that mean?” I shot back. “Do I even know you, mister?”

He tilted his head and smirked. “Hmm. We’ve met before. Same place, same time, same table.”

That smile again. That infuriating smirk.

And then it hit me.

“Oh my God… You’re that guy??” I gasped.

The one who sat in the same spot four years ago—the day Mhyko broke up with me. I never saw his face clearly then. He was wearing sunglasses and a cap. No wonder he felt familiar.

“Thank God, you remembered,” he said. “So, what happened after you stormed out that day?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Wait—YOU were eavesdropping?”

He shrugged, not even denying it. “Your lover’s quarrel was... interesting.”

I rolled my eyes and made a gag gesture. “You’re gross.”

He just laughed. “You’re actually pretty funny.”

“Ha. Ha. You’re not. Now kindly…” I pointed a sharp finger at him. “…go back to your table. I have company coming. So take your weird face and get lost.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. But just so you know… I’ll make sure we meet again.”

He winked again, and before I could throw the menu at him, he was gone—back to his table to grab his cap, then out the door.

Ugh! Who does he think he is?

And what was that about meeting again?

No. Way.

NEVER. If I ever see that guy again, I swear—I’ll kill him.

Annoying bastard.

ღHello, Exღ

As if I hadn’t had enough of weirdos for the day, guess who walked in next?

My EX.

The lying, cheating ex who ruined my life.

“Excuse me,” I said coldly. “I’m busy. Can you get lost?”

He didn’t respond. Just stared at me—at my face, at the new me. What now, Mhyko? Regretting your choices?

I expected him to stand tall and smug, like always. But no. His face… he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Sad. Broken.

Don’t. Don’t give me that face. Because if you do, I might—

“Didn’t you hear me? Get lost,” I repeated, sharper this time.

“Cyline,” he said, voice low. “You… changed a lot.”

Of course I did. I had to. You crushed me, remember?

“What? You thought I’d fall apart without you? That I’d break down and beg for you back? Hell no. I rebooted my life. Started over. Built a version of me that wouldn’t fall to pieces so easily.”

He looked down, like he couldn’t meet my eyes anymore.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I laughed bitterly. “Sorry? You think that fixes everything? News flash, Mhyko—the sweet, understanding girl you knew? She’s gone. You destroyed her. Maybe I loved you once, years ago. But not anymore. So don’t look at me like that. Don’t pretend to be sad. I wanted to be loved like a child—unconditionally—but I never begged for yours.”

“Cyline, whether you believe it or not… you were important to me,” he said, his voice almost trembling.

I raised a brow. “Believe you?” I scoffed. “You said I mattered to you?” I clapped sarcastically. “Wow, Mhyko. Thanks for the empty words. But no. I don’t believe you. If I meant anything to you, you wouldn’t have left me like I was disposable.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said. “I regret how things ended. I prayed for your happiness, I—”

“Oh, stop.” I cut him off, voice shaking. “Don’t feed me lies. If you regretted anything, you wouldn’t have disappeared like a coward. You wouldn’t have let everything end the way it did.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to hold it together. I had moved on—or at least, I thought I had. But seeing him now, here… it brought everything back.

The heartbreak.

The lies.

The betrayal.

I stood up abruptly before the tears could fall. I refused to cry in front of him again. Without another word, I walked out of that café—leaving him behind with that fake sadness on his face.

Fake. All of it.

He never showed his true colors until it was too late. And now? Now I know better.

Painful?

Yes.

Cruel?

Definitely.

Frustrating?

More than anything.

But this isn’t the end. My new story has just begun.

People ask me why I’ve changed. Why I seem so different.

Why? Can’t I?

This is still me.

I only changed my image.

Back then, I was proud to have loved him first. Proud to share that dream with him.

But now? Now it’s over. Too late for anything.

All those painful memories? Buried. Gone.

Because to me, everything he ever said was a lie.

Since when did something as pure as love become this... ugly?

Our love story ended four years ago.

Mhyko has no place in my heart anymore.

As for my future—it’s calling me forward, telling me to smile, to live, to let go. Just like my family says: live happily, laugh freely, let go of the weight.

So this is it.

You’ve been erased. Burned to ash.

You died in my heart, Mhyko.

And you no longer exist in my world.

Goodbye.

ღTo Be Continuedღ