Time.

From Courthlace's Chisa's POV:

I was her girlfriend— steady, protective, and a little too proud.

She was Lorth’s Pharita — younger than me, always shining so brightly, so full of life.

We loved each other, but we lived in two different worlds that kept pulling us apart.

Pharita was busy with school, chasing dreams through endless meetings, competitions, and organizations.

I was drowning in my own world too — university, events, responsibilities I couldn’t just let go of.

At first, we tried. We fought for every second we could spend together, even if it was just five minutes between our packed schedules.

But eventually, fighting felt heavier than loving.

I was the first to let go.

Pharita still believed we could make it work.

She wanted to hold onto us. She was willing to wait, to be patient.

But I was tired.

I didn’t want to be in a relationship that felt like a burden, like something we had to fight for all the time.

So I ended it.

I walked away.

After we broke up, I didn’t even give myself time to grieve properly.

Maybe I didn't want to.

I threw myself into my environment, into people, into distractions — looking for someone new to fill the emptiness Pharita left behind.

It didn’t take long before I found someone else.

Someone easier.

Someone who didn’t come with the weight of missed calls, postponed dates, and guilty apologies.

Meanwhile, Pharita stayed in the past we built together.

She kept waiting, holding onto the memories like they still had a future.

She waited for a version of me that no longer existed — the version that used to believe in us.

While she waited, I moved on. And she kept standing there, in the middle of a story I had already finished writing.