The One That Got Away

milaya pov.

People often say that first love never lasts, but it always leaves a mark. I used to laugh whenever I heard those words because I thought our story would be different. We were the couple everyone envied in high school—the kind who shared dreams under the stars, stayed on late-night calls until one of us fell asleep, and believed that no matter what happened, we'd always find our way back to each other.

I was wrong.

Five years had passed since dmitri disappeared from my life without a proper goodbye. At first, I hated him for leaving. I convinced myself that he had simply grown tired of loving me. But as time went on, hatred slowly turned into acceptance, and acceptance became silence. I buried every memory of him deep inside my heart, believing I had finally moved on.

Or at least... that's what I kept telling myself.
That afternoon, the rain poured heavily as I hurried into a small café near my office. I brushed the raindrops from my sleeves and ordered my usual caramel latte before choosing the table beside the window. Watching people rush through the rain had always been strangely comforting. It reminded me that everyone was carrying something—dreams, regrets, or heartbreaks hidden behind ordinary smiles.

I wrapped both hands around the warm cup, letting the heat calm my racing thoughts.

"Excuse me... is this seat taken?"
The familiar voice sent a chill down my spine.

Slowly, I looked up.

My heart stopped.

Standing in front of me was the one person I never expected to see again.

"dmitri.."

He looked just a little older, a little more mature, but his eyes were exactly the same—the same eyes that once looked at me as if I were his entire world.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. The café seemed to disappear around us, leaving only the silence between two people whose story had never truly ended.

He gave me a small smile.

"hi, milaya."

I forced myself to return the smile, even though my heart was already breaking all over again.

"Hi."

"Can I sit here?"

I hesitated.

Every part of me wanted to say no. I had spent years trying to heal from the pain he left behind. Letting him sit across from me felt like opening an old wound that had barely closed.

But somehow...

I still nodded.

As he sat down, my eyes accidentally landed on the ring resting on his left hand.

A wedding ring.

my heart shattered


My chest tightened.

In that single moment, I realized something painful.

The boy I once imagined spending forever with had become another woman's forever.

And somehow...
He was still the one my heart couldn't forget.