Ryan stared at Lia, his voice calm but final.
"You know I only love Elina," he said, trying not to meet her eyes. "I can't keep hurting you every day like this. I want you to be happy too."
Lia's heart twisted painfully.
My happiness was always with you, she wanted to scream.
But no words came out. Only silence.
Ryan continued, "We were best friends… and we'll always be. I promise. But this… this marriage isn't fair to either of us. It's better if we get divorced."
For a moment, Lia was on the verge of tears. Her eyes glistened, her throat tightened—but she swallowed the pain. She forced a small, gentle smile on her lips.
"If that's what you think is right…" she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
The next day, the divorce was finalized—quick, clean, and brutal.
---
That evening, Ryan returned home, thinking he would finally feel relieved. Instead, a strange hollowness gnawed at his chest. He found Elina in the living room and sat beside her.
"It's done," he said. "I divorced Lia today."
Elina's expression shifted from calm to complete disbelief.
And the next moment—SMACK.
The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the room. Ryan stared at her, stunned, as Elina's eyes filled with tears.
"How could you do that to her?" she cried, her voice shaking. "What was her fault, Ryan? What did she do to deserve this?"
Ryan opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"She never treated me badly," Elina continued, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Even after I married you, she welcomed me like a little sister. She never raised her voice, never showed me even a hint of bitterness. And you… you punished her for loving you."
Ryan looked away, guilt creeping into his features.
Elina sobbed harder.
"You broke her, Ryan. You broke the one person who stood by you, loved you without asking for anything in return. And I… I feel like I helped you do it."
That night, Elina cried not for herself—but for Lia.
Because sometimes, the one who walks away isn't the strongest.
It's the one who stays silent, smiles through heartbreak… and still wishes you happiness.