Forgotten Wife: My Ex-Husband Regrets It After I Left novel Chapter 67

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67

Sienna’s POV

I looked up, meeting his eyes at this close distance. His face looked tired. There were faint dark circles, his jaw not as sharp as usual, and his eyes… God, those eyes made me want to crumble.

The sky above us felt too vast, too empty to hold everything left unsaid. The salty air clung to my skin, mixing with the scent of the

sea that should have been calming, but now only tightened my chest. The waves behind me kept rolling in, their rhythm constant,

like the ticking of a clock reminding me that time moved on even when I wanted to pause for a moment.

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I watched him in silence, trying to read everything hidden beneath his expression. There was something broken there, something

he once hid so well behind faint smiles or flat sentences. Now, the cracks were visible-like shards of glass reflecting the morning

sun. Each reflection stung my eyes, yet I couldn’t look away.

Liam stood too close. Only a few steps separated us, yet the distance felt like an uncrossable chasm. I knew that if I decided to cross

it, all the walls I had worked so hard to build would collapse instantly. And yet, at the same time, there was an invisible pull calling

me forward, to close that gap, to let myself feel the warmth I’d been denying for far too long.

The sea breeze blew, scattering strands of my hair. I lowered my head slightly, trying to steady my breath. Only weeks ago, I had

left all this-left him, left Noah-with the conviction that distance would give me answers. I wanted to believe that by leaving, I

could save myself. But now, standing before Liam, that conviction wavered. All the reasons that once felt logical now sounded like

flimsy excuses.

I remembered the last night before I left. The sound of the door I closed softly so as not to wake Noah. The dim light from the

living room lamp. And Liam, sitting alone on the sofa, not saying a word as I walked out. Only an empty stare, like someone

watching a ship slowly leave the dock without the courage to call it back.

Now, his eyes were no longer empty. They were full-full of something I couldn’t quite name. Regret? Longing? Guilt? Or a

mixture of all three? I didn’t know. What I did know was that seeing him like this broke something inside me, and I hated

admitting it.

The sand beneath my feet felt cold, slightly damp. Each small movement sent a strange sensation through my body, as if the earth

was reminding me that I was still here, in the real world, and had to choose my next step. I could turn around, walk away, and let

this be nothing more than a chance encounter-a tiny fragment in the larger story I was writing. But I could also stay, let time

dissolve the anger and the hurt, either to find a proper ending… or a new beginning.

The waves came again, licking the edge of my feet, leaving a salty trace that slowly dried on my skin. Somewhere beyond the rocks, the sun was climbing higher, bringing light that couldn’t be avoided. And in that light, I stood, with someone I once loved so deeply, not knowing whether what I felt now was the remains of that love… or just its shadow.

Between the whisper of the wind and the crash of the waves, only silence spoke. Silence too heavy to break, yet too fragile to leave

untouched.

I didn’t answer. But I stepped back toward the shore, and we walked side by side along the water’s edge. My steps were slow, not

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truly wanting to walk with him, yet not strong enough to tell him to leave, Liam stayed beside me, keeping a respectful distance, as if he knew I was still full of wounds that hadn’t healed.

“I wasn’t actually planning to come here,” he said, his voice quiet but clear enough. “I just… drove Emily to a photo shoot

location.”

I immediately turned to him, my brows arching, my gaze sharp. That name pricked like a fine needle into skin that hadn’t yet recovered. Emily. The woman who once made him choose to ignore me.

Liam seemed to realize my reaction, but he continued anyway. “After that, I didn’t know where to go. I thought I needed some

time alone, some air. I drove without direction, and then suddenly I saw the sign for this beach by the side of the road. I don’t

know why… but I stopped.”

I turned my gaze toward the sea. My chest felt tight, but I didn’t want to show him that.

“You don’t need to tell me about Emily,” I said curtly. “I don’t want to know. I’ve had enough of feeling worthless because of her

presence.”

Liam exhaled heavily. “I know… and I’m sorry. Sienna, I was completely lost back then. I was a fool. I should never have made you

feel like a second choice. Because you… you’re not someone to be compared. You’re the only one.”

I bit my lower lip, holding back the pressure building in my chest. But I refused to cry. Not in front of him.

“I tried calling you, over and over. But you kept rejecting my calls. I… I understand. But when I saw that beach sign, for some

reason I felt like I had to come here. I thought, if God really wanted me to speak to you… then maybe I’d meet you here.” He gave a

bitter smile. “Turns out you really are here.”

I fell silent, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. Part of me wanted to say that it was just a coincidence. But another part of me wanted to say that it was just a coincidence. But another part

couldn’t deny that this felt like more than mere coincidence.

“Maybe it’s fate?” Liam said softly, as if reading my thoughts.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Fate. A word too big for a relationship already in ruins. But also too heavy to fully dismiss.

I didn’t reply. I simply kept walking, letting the sand absorb all the doubts still echoing in my heart.

Even though I couldn’t yet forgive, couldn’t fully accept… I no longer said, “Don’t follow me!”

Perhaps my silence today was the most honest form of a wound that was beginning to learn to accept reality.

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