Maya felt both sad and angry as she approached Adrian 's tall home. She had a key and opened the door, trembling from her emotions. As she waited in the elevator, she thought,
"He said he would come. But he didn't."
When Maya entered the house, she saw Adrian, who was dressed in his work clothes and speaking on the phone. He appeared surprised when he saw her.
"Maya…" He turned away from the call. "Hold on, I will call you back." He hung up and stepped toward her. "I was just about to…"
"Please, stop." Her voice was sharp and tired. "Do not say that. You promised me you would come tonight. You promised, Adrian. And you did not come."
"I had a long meeting at work," he said quietly.
"You always have meetings," Maya replied, her eyes full of hurt. "You never have time for me."
He took a breath. "You know how important this was…"
"And my show wasn't?" she fired back. "Do you understand what tonight meant to me? That painting took months to complete. I wanted you to see it. I wanted you to see who I am."
"I do see you," he said, voice low.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "You see me when it's easy for you. When I'm quiet. When I'm smiling at your parties and pretending I belong here. But when I need you, when I really need you, you are never there."
Adrian looked down, hands in his pockets. He hated it when she was right. "I'm doing all of this for us." He finally said.
Maya laughed slightly, "What is 'us'? You only see me sometimes. When I need you, you are not there."
He replied, his voice quiet, "I love you."
Maya looked at him, tears filled her eyes. "Then show me you love me."
Silence filled the room. Outside the window, the city lights shimmered like nothing was wrong, but inside, the air felt heavy and strange. Adrian wanted to say something that would make sense, something that would hold her in place, but he had nothing.
Maya picked up a small glass ornament on the table. It was one of her favorite gifts, something he claimed he brought from Venice. She turned it in her hand slowly.
"Do you remember when you got this?" she asked."
He frowned, "Yes, you liked that shop a lot."
"You weren't even there," she said quietly, "Your driver bought it while you were busy. You only signed the papers."
He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She placed the ornament back on the table and drew in a deep breath.
"Adrian, I cannot keep waiting like this."
His heart dropped. "What are you trying to say?"
"I mean, I'm tired of waiting for you," she said. "I can't make my life about your busy days anymore."
"Maya…"
She raised her hand. "Please, let me finish. I will leave the keys on the counter. You can have the house all to yourself."
He reached out to her, but she stepped back.
"Please don't touch me," she said quietly. "If you do, I'll stay. But I can't stay like this, Adrian. Not anymore."
Adrian felt something twist painfully in his chest. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea what to say.
"I will fix this," he said, but even he heard the weakness in his voice. "I will make time. I will..."
"You won't," she said softly. "You will try and mean it, but then work will come again, and you will forget how tonight felt."
She took off his house key and put it on the counter. The sound of the key hitting the marble was loud in the quiet room. That sound was the end of something important.
"Maya, please," Adrian said, his voice shaking. "Don't go."
She looked at him one last time. "You can buy anything, Adrian. But you can't buy time…and you already used up mine."
Then, she turned and walked to the door. Adrian stood still. His throat felt tight. He wanted to run after her, to say sorry, to promise anything. But a voice inside told him to let her go, because any promise now would sound like a lie.
When the door closed behind her, the room felt very quiet. The city lights continued to shine, but inside, everything felt dark, like the room itself understood she was gone.
Adrian picked up the glass ornament and stared at it. His face showed up on the shiny surface, cold and strange. He threw it across the room, and it broke into many pieces with a loud sound, scattering everywhere. He sat on the couch, covering his face with his hands. His phone buzzed with messages and calls, but he didn't move. He had made big businesses and lots of money, yet he could not keep the heart of one woman who only wanted his attention.
For the first time in many years, Adrian felt powerless. He looked at his phone and saw pictures of them together. Her smile seemed to look straight into him, like she already knew this day would come.
He opened their last messages. Her last words said: "Please don't come tonight."
He typed a reply: "I love you. I'm sorry. Please don't go."
Then he erased it. He typed again: "I'll wait for you." And sent it. The message said 'Delivered,' but not 'Read'.
He sat there, holding his phone, looking at that word until his eyes hurt. Outside, the sky started to get light, a soft gray morning coming in through the windows. It was morning, but for Adrian, it felt like the longest night ever.