The soft rustle of city wind pyed with the strands of Jenny’s hair as she stood at the edge of the university’s quiet rooftop garden, clutching her medal like it wasn’t real. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of faded orange and charcoal gray. Lights twinkled below like stars fallen to earth—her city, her world, always moving, always rushing.

  But tonight, time felt like it had paused.

  She had won silver in the international qualifiers—her biggest comeback since the accident. Everyone cpped, cameras fshed, her teammates cheered. But her heart had been somewhere else entirely.

  She hadn't pnned to come here, not to this rooftop, not tonight. But something about it—the quiet, the height, the space to breathe—pulled her.

  And then... she saw him.

  Li Wei.

  Standing near the railing on the opposite side, his profile carved out by the city lights behind him. Hands in his pockets, shoulders heavy with thought, like he, too, was trying to outrun something.

  Her heart stopped. Her lungs forgot how to work. Three years. It had been three years since they st spoke—really spoke.

  And tonight, of all nights… he was here.

  She could have turned away. Left him in the past like she had sworn to.

  But she didn’t.

  She walked. One step. Then another.

  Her shoes made the faintest sound against the concrete floor, but he didn’t turn. Didn’t move.

  When she was just a few feet behind him, she finally spoke.

  “Li Wei…”

  His shoulders stiffened.

  “I—” Her voice wavered, then steadied. “I didn’t think I’d see you tonight.”

  Still, he didn’t speak.

  She forced a smile. “I… won. Second pce. International qualifiers.”

  Silence.

  The wind whispered between them, cruel and cold.

  Jenny swallowed hard. Her fingers curled into fists. “I’m not here to get anything from you. I just… I needed to say something. After all these years.”

  He finally turned, just a little. Enough for her to see his eyes—but not his heart.

  “Why now?” he asked, quietly.

  She stepped closer. Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop.

  “Because I couldn’t move forward with this weight on my chest. Because I’ve carried your silence longer than I should have. And because tonight, I stood on that stage, and for a second, I wanted you to be there. I still wanted you to see me.”

  He looked away.

  “I loved you,” she said, her voice small but unshakable. “I didn’t get the chance to say it before. I was too scared. Too broken. But it’s the truth. And I need you to hear it—even if it means nothing now.”

  A long silence. The kind that hurts.

  Li Wei’s jaw tightened. “Jenny… you shouldn’t have come here.”

  She blinked, a soft gasp escaping. “What?”

  “You’re doing great. You’re moving forward. Don’t come back to this.”

  “Is that all you’re going to say?”

  “I don’t have anything left to say,” he said, voice colder now. Sharper. “It’s been years.”

  “But we never talked—never closed the chapter.”

  “Maybe some things are better left closed,” he replied.

  Jenny took a shaky breath. The medal in her hand felt heavy. She stepped forward again, eyes shimmering.

  “Then say it,” she whispered. “Say you don’t care. Say you never did. If that’s what it takes for me to stop.”

  Li Wei looked at her. His gaze didn’t soften. His silence didn’t crack.

  “I can’t give you what you’re looking for,” he said. “Not anymore.”

  Jenny felt the air drain from her lungs.

  “I’m not asking for anything,” she replied. “Just honesty.”

  His eyes flickered, but he turned his back to her.

  And then, with his voice barely above a whisper: “Take care of yourself, Jenny.”

  And he walked away.

  Just like that.

  Jenny stood frozen. Her legs felt numb. Her chest burned. She had spent years building walls, learning how not to care—and in one night, she had torn them down for him.

  Only for him to leave again.

  The tears came quietly, falling one by one.

  She didn’t chase him. Not this time.

  Instead, she stood in the quiet and whispered into the night, “I loved you, Li Wei… even when I shouldn't have.”

  And for the first time, she let herself feel everything—grief, love, shame, longing, freedom.

  Then, slowly, she turned to leave.

  Not defeated.

  But emptied. Cleansed.

  Ready to start again.