The man almost didn't recognize her at first. She looked… softer. Happier. Like life had been kinder to her than it had to him.
"Hi," he said, his voice catching just slightly.
She turned. Her eyes widened for a heartbeat before settling into something calm. "Hello."
That pause.. that tiny, fragile silence.. held years inside it.
His eyes betrayed him. They dropped before his mind could stop them. Her dress curved gently over her belly, round and unmistakable.
"You're pregnant."
She smiled, warm and real, one hand resting there. "Yeah. Almost six months."
"Oh." He swallowed. "Good for you."
He smiled because that's what you do when your heart is breaking in public.
"Sweetie!"
The voice came from behind her. She turned, and so did he.
"I should go," she said gently. "It was nice seeing you."
"Yeah," he replied. "I'm glad you're doing well. Take care."
They waved. Simple. Polite. Like strangers.
He watched her walk away.
Watched her reach the man waiting for her.
Watched her rise on her toes and kiss him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And just like that, something inside Nathan caved in.
She once kissed him like that.
Years ago, Leela had been his whole world. They were reckless, passionate, madly in love. Midnight walks. Cheap food dates. Loud laughter in quiet rooms. Promises whispered between kisses, full of confidence and no plan.
They loved hard.. and thought that was enough.
Then life started asking questions they didn't know how to answer.
Money. Marriage. The future.
Leela wanted direction. Nathan wanted time.
He told her he'd figure it out. He told her to trust him. He told her tomorrow would be different. And when things felt overwhelming, he escaped.. into games, into screens, into places where he didn't feel like he was failing.
She waited. Then she asked. Then she begged.
And finally… she stopped.
When she left, Nathan was shocked. Hurt. Angry. He honestly believed she'd never go.. that loving him meant staying no matter what. He didn't realize love could get tired.
Seeing her wedding video years later destroyed him.
She looked beautiful. Radiant. Chosen.
He felt rage, jealousy, regret crashed into him all at once. He replayed the video more times than he wanted to admit, wondering where it all went wrong. Wondering why he wasn't standing there instead.
Eventually, the pain dulled.
It never disappeared.. it just learned how to hide.
Until today.
Now she was here. Pregnant. Married. Happy.
And he was standing alone, realizing the hardest truth of all: She didn't leave because she stopped loving him. She left because he never became the man she needed.
And what hurt the most wasn't seeing her pregnant.
It wasn't seeing her married.
It wasn't even watching her walk away with another man's hand in hers.
What hurt the most was the truth he could no longer run from.
After all the years. After the anger, the jealousy, the silence, the pretending he was okay. After convincing himself he had moved on.
He still loved her.
Just the same.
Just as deeply as the night they lay awake talking about dreams too big for their pockets. Just as fiercely as the moment they promised.. carelessly, fearlessly.. to build their own forever. Time did not soften it. Distance hadn't erased it. Losing her hadn't killed it.
Love like that didn't fade.
It only learned how to live quietly inside him.
So Nathan stood there, heart aching, watching the woman he loved carry a future that once was meant to be his..
Some loves stay.
Even when the person doesn't.