A portrait of the unseen [COMPLETE]

Truth

While dwelling in my thoughts, I started forming a plan to get some answers. I decided to go back to the café. Once I reached the counter, my attention was caught by a portrait hanging on the wall. The girl in the portrait looked so much like Ryu.

The girl at the counter noticed my interest. "Can I help you with something?" she asked.

"Who's the girl in the portrait?" I inquired, my voice shaky with anticipation.

"That's our boss," she replied with a smile. "The café is new because she just moved here from abroad. Her name is Rae."

I ordered a coffee, trying to process what I'd just heard. While waiting, my mind raced with more questions. Did she really start a new life with a new identity and a new girl? Was Rae truly Ryu, living a different life after leaving everything behind?

The possibility that Ryu-now Rae-had moved on so completely was a hard pill to swallow. As I sat there, nursing my coffee, I couldn't help but wonder if she had truly forgotten about me and our past, or if there was more to the story.

I didn't leave the place. I needed to talk to Ryu or Rae, whoever she was. I often walked around, hoping to find her.

One day, I saw her alone at the seashore. I slowly walked toward her. When she saw me, she didn't react and walked past me.

"Excuse me," I suddenly said.

She looked at me straight, without any emotion.

After a few seconds, she broke the silence. Her voice was the same as Ryu's. "Do you need something?"

I shook my head. "I just thought I knew you."

She stared at me for a moment, then turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with more questions than ever.

I immediately took out my phone to call Ryu, but the girl didn't seem to receive any call. Since I knew she had prosopagnosia, I realized that even if she was Ryu, she couldn't recognize me. I didn't want to disturb her by introducing myself, fearing what the truth might be.

What if she had moved on? What if she had someone new because I couldn't be a good girlfriend and spend time with her? The thought was terrifying.

Determined yet apprehensive, I followed her discreetly and saw her again, talking to the same girl. They seemed close, and my heart sank. I was devastated, feeling the weight of uncertainty and heartbreak crush me.

I didn't know what to do or how to process the possibility that Ryu, or Rae as she now seemed to be, had moved on without me.

I went back to the seashore, crying. I felt utterly alone. Cole and Steve were too busy to talk on the phone, and I couldn't reach Jess either. The pain of it all was unbearable.

Why would she disappear like this if it was her intention all along? Why bother getting back together only to leave me again? She should have just pushed me away from the start.

I checked her Instagram, hoping for some clue, but it was inactive. She hadn't posted anything since Ryu ghosted me. It felt like she had completely disappeared from my life.

Unable to contain my emotions, I started talking to myself, trying to make sense of everything.

"Why did she leave? Why did she come back only to vanish again? If she didn't want to be with me, why not just tell me? Why disappear like this? I thought we had something real, something worth fighting for."

The waves crashing against the shore seemed to echo my despair. I sat there, lost in my thoughts, the weight of uncertainty and heartbreak bearing down on me.