𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙚 | 𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘩. ᯓ ᡣ𐭩

033. | ᴀ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴘᴛ. 3

Aki's eyes widened at Touko's words, shock and pain registering clearly on his face. He had expected her to resist, to push back, but he had never imagined her saying she didn't want to be with him.

His hands slowly dropped from her shoulders, the pain in his expression deepening. "What... what do you mean?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had thought that they were on the same page, that they both wanted to be together despite the risks. But now she was saying that she didn't want to be with him at all.

Aki's mind was racing, trying to make sense of her words. He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, every word she spoke driving the pain deeper into his heart.

Touko's expression was tight as she spoke, her tears streaming down her cheeks. "I mean exactly what I said," she said, her voice faltering as the words came out. "I don't want to be with you, Aki. Not like this. Not with us constantly pushing and pulling with each other."

She continued, her tone firming up despite the pain in her eyes. "You would always try and stop me from doing what I need to do. We can't be together."

Touko's heart ached as the words tore out of her throat. She hated every syllable that was leaving her mouth, hated the hurt and pain that she saw in Aki's eyes.

But she knew it was necessary. It was the only way to keep them both safe and alive. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

As her lips closed over the last words, a pang of guilt shot through her chest. But she pushed it down, knowing that it was better this way.

Aki felt as though he had been punched in the gut. He could feel the tears welling up in his own eyes, the pain in his heart making it hard to breathe.

He wanted to protest, to tell her that they could make it work. But her expression was so resolute that he knew there was no point in fighting her on this.

His mind was a torrent of emotions. Frustration. Confusion. Pain. But above all, sadness. He loved her, loved her more than anything in the world, and now she was telling him that she didn't want to be with him.

He wanted to scream at her, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. But he knew that would only make things worse. So he simply stood there, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, his heart aching in his chest.

Touko's heart ached as she watched Aki stand there in pain and confusion. But she knew she had to keep speaking, even though every word was like a dagger through her heart.

"We can't be together, Aki," she repeated, her voice firm even as her own tears continued to fall. "Not like this. Not when you're bound by that contract, not with me honoring my family. You know that this is the best solution."

She continued, her voice cracking slightly, "We're just hurting ourselves, trying to force something when we know it's impossible. It's better for both of us if we just... cut off our feelings now, so we don't keep torturing eachother with a lie."

She watched as Aki's expression crumbled at her words, her own heart aching at the pain she saw in his eyes. But she knew she had to remain steadfast, for both of their sakes.

"We have to be realistic, Aki," she said quietly. "We can't keep going like this, pretending that things will get better when we know they never will. It's just making everything worse. We have to let go, for our own good."

She could see the conflict in his eyes, the internal struggle between his heart and his mind. But she also saw the resignation there, the realization that she was right, no matter how much it hurt them both.