The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I couldn't collapse in front of him, not after finally gathering the courage to confront him about our past.
"You could have just told me," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I deserved the truth."
"I know," he said, reaching out to touch my arm. "And I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."
I pulled away, feeling a wave of anger rushing through me. "You didn't mean to hurt me? You led me on for months, let me believe that we had a chance. And now you're telling me you love someone else?"
He looked down, avoiding my gaze. "I know I messed up. I was scared to tell you the truth. I didn't want to lose you completely."
"But you did," I said, my voice growing louder. "You lost me the moment you decided to lie to me. How could I trust someone who doesn't respect me enough to be honest?"
He didn't answer, and for a moment, we just stood there in silence. The weight of our words hung in the air, heavy and raw.
Finally, he spoke up. "I understand if you can't forgive me. But please, don't forget the good times we had. Don't let this ruin all the memories we shared."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my trembling hands. "I won't forget. But I can't pretend that everything is okay. We can't go back to how things were before."
"I know," he said, looking at me with a pained expression. "But I'll always cherish what we had."
And with that, he turned around and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts and broken heart.
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