Aria held her tears back the entire way home.

Each step felt heavier than the last, like something inside her was slowly giving up but she didn’t know what. Or maybe… she did. She just wasn’t ready to face it.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Silence.

No familiar voices.

No questions waiting for her.

She stood still for a moment.

Then exhaled.

A soft, shaky breath... almost relief.

At least now… she didn’t have to pretend.

Her bag slipped from her shoulder and fell onto the floor with a dull thud. The sound echoed faintly in the empty house.

And just like that..

She broke.

Not loudly. Not dramatically.

Her face crumpled, and tears spilled over, quiet and uncontrollable. The kind that came from somewhere deep...somewhere tired.

Aria pressed her lips together, trying to hold it in, even now.

But why?

No one was watching.

Still… she couldn’t let go completely.

Her phone buzzed.

She flinched slightly, wiping her cheeks in a hurry, as if she had been caught.

Mom : “Dinner is ready. Eat on time.”

That was it.

Just… routine.

Aria stared at the message for a few seconds before locking her phone.

“Yeah…” she whispered to no one.

The kitchen lights flickered softly as she stepped in.

Everything was already prepared.

Rice.

Curry.

Side dishes neatly arranged.

It looked like any other day.

She served herself slowly, her movements mechanical.....like she was following instructions her body remembered, even if her mind didn’t care.

Plate in hand, she sat down.

The chair scraped lightly against the floor.

Too loud.

She took a bite.

Chewed.

Swallowed.

Another bite.

And then....

A tear slipped down her cheek, falling quietly into her food.

Aria didn’t stop.

She kept eating.

Bite after bite, as if finishing the meal meant finishing the moment.

But the tears didn’t stop.

Her vision blurred, her hand trembling just slightly.....but still, she continued.

Because stopping…

would mean feeling everything.

And she wasn’t ready for that.

Miles away, in a completely different world....

Peter leaned back in his chair, the glow of his laptop reflecting against his face.

A Zoom meeting was in progress.

Voices overlapped. Numbers were discussed. Someone was presenting something important.

Peter wasn’t listening.

His mind had already wandered.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

He replayed the moment from earlier.....the way he had spoken, the way he had acted.

To him, it had been perfect.

Confident.

Charming.

Manly.

He adjusted his collar slightly, a quiet sense of pride settling in his chest.

A stable job.

A girlfriend.

Everything was falling into place.

Just the way it should.

The meeting ended.

Peter stretched lazily, letting out a small yawn before reaching for his phone.

Aria.

Her pictures filled his screen.

He scrolled slowly.

Smiling.

There was something in his gaze.... something that lingered a little too long, held a little too tightly.

Possessive.

But in his mind, it wasn’t wrong.

It was just… love.

He lay back on his bed, still looking at her photos.

His eyes grew heavier.

Within minutes, he drifted off to sleep.

Peaceful.

Content.

Two people.

One relationship.

And yet 

completely different worlds.