Shouts and Sweet Surrender.

Chapter 13: The Final Choice

Lola stood by the door, her suitcase packed and sitting by her side. The room felt unbearably quiet, almost as if it were waiting for her to make the final move. The decision she had been avoiding for weeks was now staring her in the face. Her heart ached with the weight of it, the inevitability of what was about to happen.

She had spent countless nights wrestling with the emotions that swirled inside her—love, fear, guilt. And in the end, the fear had won. As much as she loved Ian, as much as she wanted to stay, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't good for him. She had always been afraid of letting herself be loved, afraid that if she stayed too long, she would only hurt him more.

The thought of leaving Ian broke her heart, but the thought of staying—of watching them slowly fall apart—was even more unbearable.

She glanced at her phone, her fingers hovering over Ian's number. Should she call him? Should she explain everything? Or would that just make it harder? Maybe it was better this way, to leave quietly, without any more words. Words had only caused more pain between them lately, and she wasn't sure if she could handle another conversation that ended in heartbreak.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked around the room, the memories flooding back. This had been their place—where they had laughed, fought, loved. Every corner of the room held a piece of their story, and now she was about to leave it all behind.

Her heart tightened as she thought of Ian's face, the way he looked at her with so much love, even when she couldn't give him what he needed. He had always been so patient, so understanding. But patience had its limits, and she knew that she had already pushed him to the edge.

"I'm sorry, Ian," she whispered, her voice cracking as she wiped the tears from her face. "I wish things could be different."

But they couldn't be. She had tried to fight it, tried to hold on to the hope that they could make it work. But in the end, her fear had won. And now, the only thing left to do was leave.

With a shaky breath, she grabbed the suitcase and opened the door. The cold night air rushed in, sending a shiver down her spine. She took one last look around the room, her heart breaking as she realized this was the end. There was no going back.

And with that, Lola stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

The sound of the door clicking shut echoed in her ears, a final punctuation to the story she had been running from. She walked down the path, her footsteps heavy, each step taking her further away from Ian and everything they had shared.

But as much as it hurt, she knew she had made the right choice.

Even if it felt like it was tearing her apart.