I Walked Away When You Finally Looked Back

Spencer's POV

I understood Dahlia.

Just like every other time we fought, I would always be the one begging her to forgive me. I’d lower my pride again and again, pleading just to stay together, because the thought of losing her used to drive me insane. I truly believed I’d keep repeating that cycle forever just like before.

But when I got out of the hospital and saw her on Gideon’s social media, standing beside him, watching the sunrise, with a caption: [Some people will always shield you from the wind and rain.]

Something inside me just let go.

I suddenly didn’t care anymore about who she valued more—me or Gideon. I didn’t even care about her. I realized it had been a long time since I genuinely thought of her at all.

And now, looking at them, Gideon still seething and Dahlia waiting for me to fold like I always did, the same scene replaying as it had so many times before.

I took a step back and said, “I don’t need it anymore.”

“Dahlia,” I said, watching her expression twist in shock. “I don’t need you to give me anything.”

My voice stayed calm as I let out those words. It was as if I had finally seen my own heart clearly, as if I had really, truly moved on.

“If you think I take up too much of your time, and I’m too hard to deal with, just like your friends said...” I turned toward Gideon’s jealous, hateful stare and smiled, “Then this spoiled, unreasonable guy won’t waste any more of your life.”

I looked back at Dahlia and told her, “I already scheduled a moving company. Since you’re here, you can take all your things with you. From now on, let’s not contact each other.”

I remembered wanting to delete her number right after the breakup, but I kept it because I needed to return her belongings. Now that she was here, it felt like the perfect moment to finally end everything.

She stood frozen, staring at me in disbelief, desperately searching my eyes for something. But the affection and devotion she was used to finding were now gone.

And because she couldn’t find it, fear crept into her expression.

But before she could speak, Gideon blurted out, “Spencer, do you think saying all that will make Dahlia choose you? You think I don’t know—”

“Shut up!”

For the first time ever, Dahlia snapped at him right in front of me. She looked almost panicked as she glared at him. “This is between him and me. You don’t get to interfere.”

“Spencer!” She turned back to me, her eyes suddenly red. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Are you upset because I didn’t contact you these past few days?” Her voice trembled as fear kept rising inside her.

She grew more frantic, her words stumbling out. “I was just angry because you always restrict me, but how could you kick me out? Didn’t we agree that no matter how badly we argued, no matter how cold things got, we’d never kick each other out? If it really reaches that point… Spencer…”

We both knew the truth.

If it reached that point, it meant one of us had already decided to give up.

But before she could finish, a voice came from outside the door.

“Excuse me? Who’s moving?”