The roar of the crowd has faded into a distant hum, replaced by the rhythmic pounding of my heart in my ears.
I’m standing beside my bike, my helmet dangling from my hand, my body still vibrating from the race.
I won.
I actually won.
I beat him.
For a moment, I let myself feel it.
The victory.
The triumph.
The sweet taste of revenge.
But then I see him walking toward me, and all of it fades away.
His tall frame cuts through the darkness like a blade.
His jet-black hair is tousled from the ride, his amber eyes fixed on me with an intensity that makes my stomach twist.
He’s wearing a torn leather cut, and I can see the edge of a scar on his ribs.
A long, jagged scar that looks recent.
I feel my heart stutter.
I hate that it stutters.
I hate that he still has this effect on me.
He stops in front of me, his chest heaving.
His eyes are searching, desperate, like he’s trying to find something in my face.
“Aitana,” he says, his voice low and rough.
“I need to talk to you.” I step back.
I don’t want to be close to him.
I don’t want to feel the warmth radiating off his body.
I don’t want to remember what it was like to love him.
“Go away, Leo.
You don’t get to do this.” “I’m not leaving,” he says, his voice firm.
“I’m not leaving until you listen to me.” He reaches out and grabs my wrist.
His fingers are warm, calloused, familiar.
They burn against my skin like a brand.
I try to pull away, but he holds on tighter.
His eyes are locked on mine, and I see the desperation in them.
The guilt.
The regret.
“Hello, princess,” he whispers, his voice cracking.
“We miss you.
Please come back home.” Those words hit me like a punch to the chest.
They feel like a slap.
They feel like everything I lost, everything I wanted, everything I’ll never have again.
I yank my wrist out of his grip, my eyes blazing with fury.
“Don’t call me that,” I snap.
“I’m not your princess anymore.
I’m not anyone’s princess.” He flinches.
Just slightly.
Just enough for me to see.
“Aitana, please—” “No,” I cut him off, stepping back.
“You don’t get to do this.
You don’t get to show up here and act like you care.
You don’t get to call me princess like I’m still that girl.
Like I’m still the same person who loved you.” I feel the tears burning in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.
I’ve cried too many tears over him.
Over them.
Over everything I lost.
“You left me,” I say, my voice cracking.
“All of you left me.
You watched me break, and you did nothing.
You said nothing.
You let them laugh at me.
You let them destroy me.” “Aitana, I—” “You said nothing!” I scream, the tears spilling down my cheeks.
“You said nothing when I needed you most!
You said nothing when they mocked me!
You said nothing when I walked away!” I step closer to him, my fists clenched at my sides.
I can feel the anger burning inside me, hot and fierce.
“I loved you, Leo.
I loved you with everything I had.
And you threw it away like it was nothing.
Like I was nothing.” He looks at me, his eyes filled with pain.
“I know.
I know I messed up.
I know I was a coward.
But I’m here now.
I’m trying to make it right.” I laugh, bitter and hollow.
“You can’t make it right.
You can’t undo what you did.
You can’t bring back the girl I used to be.” I think about the night I left.
The party.
The laughter.
The way they mocked me.
The way I stood there, broken and humiliated.
I think about the way he watched me.
The way he said nothing.
The way he let me walk away.
I think about all the nights I cried myself to sleep.
All the days I spent wondering if I was ever enough.
The pain is still there.
It’s always there.
A wound that never heals.
“Please,” he whispers, his voice breaking.
“Just give me a chance.
Let me prove that I’ve changed.” I look at him, and I see the desperation in his eyes.
The guilt.
The regret.
But I also see the ghost of the boy who broke me.
I shake my head.
“I can’t.
I can’t trust you.
I can’t trust anyone.” I think about the moment I overheard them laughing.
The moment I realized that my friends, my family, my everything had turned against me.
I think about the way Diego looked away.
The way Sofia’s face went white.
The way Carmen couldn’t meet my eyes.
And I think about Leo.
About how he just stood there, frozen, saying nothing.
“You always said nothing,” I whisper.
“When I needed you most, you said nothing.
When I was drowning, you said nothing.
When they were destroying me, you said nothing.” I look at him, my eyes blazing with pain and anger.
“And that’s why you’re the worst of them all.
Because you knew.
You knew what they were doing, and you let it happen.
You let me burn.” He opens his mouth to speak, but I don’t let him.
“I loved you,” I say, my voice cracking.
“I loved you so much it consumed me.
And you never even tried to save me.” The tears are streaming down my face now.
I don’t try to stop them.
I can’t.
They’re too hot, too fast, too uncontrollable.
“You want to know what I felt that night?” I ask, my voice trembling.
“You want to know what it was like standing there, watching my whole world crumble?” I step closer to him, my eyes locked on his.
“I felt like I was drowning.
Like I was being pulled under by a current I couldn’t fight.
I looked for you.
I looked for anyone who would save me.
But you just stood there.
Frozen.
Silent.” He reaches out to touch me, but I step back.
“No,” I say, shaking my head.
“You don’t get to touch me.
You don’t get to comfort me.
You lost that right the moment you stayed silent.” “Aitana, I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“I’m so sorry.” “Sorry isn’t enough,” I say, my voice cold and flat.
“Sorry doesn’t fix anything.” I turn away from him.
I can’t look at him anymore.
I can’t bear to see the pain in his eyes.
I walk back to my bike and climb on.
The leather is cold against my skin.
I grip the handlebars, my hands shaking.
I look at him one last time.
“You’re not my home anymore, Leo,” I say, my voice hollow.
“You’re nothing to me.” I start the engine.
The roar fills the night air, drowning out everything else.
I twist the throttle and ride off.
The wind whips against my face, cold and unforgiving.
The street blurs past me.
The lights of Málaga fade into the distance.
I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks, hot and uncontrollable.
My heart is pounding in my chest.
My hands are shaking on the handlebars.
I left him behind.
I left him standing there in the darkness, alone.
But I don’t feel better.
I don’t feel free.
I feel broken.
I feel empty.
I feel like I left a part of myself behind.
My heart is screaming.
Screaming for the girl I used to be.
Screaming for the love I used to have.
Screaming for the home I used to know.
But I can’t go back.
I can’t go back to that place.
To that person.
To that pain.
I ride into the darkness, leaving everything behind.
My heart is screaming.
But no one is listening.