sara wakes up the next morning with swollen eyes, half remembering the pain she had last night… she didn't even know when she fell asleep. she still hasn't opened her ex's texts because she's scared of herself, scared of how weak she'll become again if she reads even one word from him. she knows she doesn't have the strength… not yet.
her phone keeps buzzing with the alarm she set long ago for an event that doesn't even exist now. she never removed it. it keeps going again and again, dragging her back into reality.
sara doesn't want to power on the phone. but she's strong… or at least she tries to be. she holds the phone in one hand, covers her eyes with the other, and slowly slides her hand down the screen so she won't start crying like last night.
but when her fingers go halfway… she sees something that shocks her completely.
her ex has unsent every message he sent last night.
only one line remains in the notification preview:
"sara… please don't ignore me…"
that one line is enough. tears fill her eyes again. she doesn't need paragraphs to cry — love breaks her even with a whisper.
but now a storm rises inside her.
"what did he delete?
was he trying to tell me something important?
is he okay?
is he in danger?
would he… do something to himself again?"
the questions hit her like thunder.
even after everything he did… all the scars he gave… she still cares. she hates that she cares.
yomin messages her again, noticing she's been quiet. he feels uneasy.
"sara… did you cry? did something happen again? did he message you?"
she opens the chat and lies.
"no… nothing happened yomin."
but he knows. he feels it. something is wrong.
he calls her.
she ignores it. she's scared he'll hear her shaky voice and worry even more.
and then, right at that moment, her ex texts again:
"i shouldn't have deleted that message… it was the truth."
sara breaks down. she still doesn't open his chat, but her heart drops to the floor.
thoughts flood her mind all at once:
> "I always thought I'd be the old Sara again. Lately, I don't even feel like myself… I feel broken everywhere. There's so much I want to say, but I can't tell anyone. Why did this happen to me? I never deserved this hurt. I never lied. I never played with anyone's heart.
It's been four months… we didn't even date for three full months, just two and a half… and yet my tears still haven't dried.
Every time I smile, it feels fake. I'm unhappy inside… shattered inside.
My ex messaged me yesterday and even unsent one message… what could it have been?"
She started typing all of this to Yomin — a full confession about how her ex still hurt her — but then stopped.
She deleted the message.
Instead, she sent:
> "I'm just tired, Yomin… I didn't cry. Nothing happened. I was just sleepy."
After sending it, she whispered to herself:
> "Why am I like this? Why can't I open my ex's messages? Why can't I read them? Every time I try, I fall apart. And now he unsent something important… or maybe it wasn't. And I can't even tell Yomin, because I hid it from him…"
The weight of it crushed her chest. She forgot everything her ex had done — how he left her crying on the floor — all because of one unsent message.
Just one.
That was all it took for her heart to shatter again.
> "Why… why do the words I need the most always slip away? Why can't I ever open them… or say what's in my heart…?"