You Lost Me Forever, Ex-Wife

It was early spring, but the weather was still pretty cold.

Stephanie Rowell opened the door while speaking into her phone, her soft voice fading into the drizzle. "Mom, Dad, I'll be home by the end of the month for blind dates and to get married."

She pulled her collar up, hearing her parents, Hubert Rowell and Rita Bassett, breathe a long sigh of relief from the other end.

"Steph, our health isn't what it used to be, so we hope you'll settle down soon. It's a relief that you've figured things out. I'll have Laura set up a few dates for you when you get home."

Hearing that Hubert and Rita had already made plans, Stephanie's eyes showed a flicker of emotion, and she had a sudden realization.

They talked for a little while longer before hanging up.

Stephanie glanced at the place she'd been staying before heading to the bedroom to clean up her stuff.

She had a drawer full of love letters, photo albums with candid shots tucked away in the cabinet, and diaries she'd kept for years on the bookshelf—all keeping the secret of her crush on Liam Lowry.

Stephanie threw everything into a box, carried it downstairs, and set it on fire without a second thought. While the flames danced in shades of orange and yellow, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She looked up instinctively and saw Liam approaching in his flight uniform, looking as striking as ever. He clearly had just returned from a flight.

Liam didn't expect to find her there. Smiling, he asked, "What are you burning?"

He leaned down to pick up a pink envelope that wasn't fully burned and raised an eyebrow. "Love letters? You actually wrote love letters? To who?"

Stephanie stared at him, about to say something, when he tossed the letter back into the fire with a grin. After that, he ruffled her hair.

"I was just messing with you. You're such a softie, huh? I don't mind your past and won't dig into it. Hurry back inside once you're finished here. It's cold out."

With that, Liam turned and headed for the elevator.

Once he was out of sight, Stephanie looked away and let out a wry smile. She wondered if he truly didn't mind or just didn't care at all.

The envelope had his name on it. He would've seen it if he'd bothered to take a closer look, but he just threw it into the fire.

She'd been secretly into Liam for ten years, but he didn't have the slightest idea.

Stephanie was sent to a high school in the city at 15 because of her impressive grades.

She was just another average girl back then, with no sense of style and always looking a little sloppy. People barely noticed her.

Liam was her classmate. His privileged background and striking looks gave him a certain glow, putting him just out of her reach.

It was the first day of school when they first met.

Stephanie got on the bus, only to realize she'd lost her transit card. The students in line behind her were losing patience and kept grumbling.

They told her to walk if she couldn't pay, saying they wouldn't have minded if she were a stunner, but she was so plain that it was hard to even look at her.

Her face went red with embarrassment, and she was about to get off the bus when someone up front paid her fare.

Stephanie thanked him. When she looked up, her face turned even redder when she saw that unbelievably handsome guy.

She stammered, "H-Hey, I'm Stephanie Rowell. What class are you in? I'll pay you back for the fare."

His voice was nice but kind of distant. "No, it's all good."

Later, she found out his name was Liam—the heartthrob of Southcrest High School, known for hopping from one girlfriend to the next every few days.

After that day, Stephanie found herself always looking for him. She knew his desk was piled high with love letters but still stayed up late writing down her growing feelings for him.

Aware that Liam was into beautiful, outstanding girls, she dove into her studies, slimmed down, learned how to do her makeup and shed her shy, self-conscious side.

She did everything she could to be worthy of him.

Eventually, they both ended up at the same college, and Liam noticed Stephanie for the first time after her transformation.

He made his move in their sophomore year. Without recognizing her as his high school classmate, he smiled and asked if she'd like to be his girlfriend. She fought back her tears and nodded.

Stephanie was Liam's 78th girlfriend and turned out to be his last. Instead of ending things after just a few days like he usually did, he actually dated her for six years.

Everyone was convinced he was in love for real—that the guy who never settled down had finally found someone.

Stephanie thought she had finally won over the one she'd been longing for after all these years. Her heart swelled with happiness during all those nights when she lay beside him, watching him sleep peacefully.

It wasn't until three days ago, when Liam got drunk, that she went to pick him up and accidentally overheard his conversation with his friends.

His buddy draped an arm around him. "Liam, you've been with her for six years. Why haven't you ended it yet?"

Liam's voice was raspy, and it was obvious he was drunk. "I can't just yet. She might think I'm not committed enough."

"Maeve really had you under her spell. You acted like a playboy after she rejected you, hopping from one girlfriend to the next every few days just to get over her.

"Later, she said you weren't committed enough and told you to prove yourself with a stable relationship before she'd consider dating you.

"And you just went with a girlfriend and dated her for six years. Dude, you're hopeless."

The room was alive with laughter and conversation, and no one noticed Stephanie outside, feeling like she'd just been dunked in freezing water.

She'd heard of Maeve Stewart, who went to the neighboring high school. However, she'd never thought Liam had feelings for her or that she was just a pawn in his game to win Maeve over.

All those feelings that Stephanie had built up for him over the last ten years shattered in a heartbeat. She'd fallen for him, but he never felt the same. He'd stolen her heart but never once glanced her way.

She finally figured everything out and knew it was time to let go. So she agreed to the blind dates.

Today marked ten years of Stephanie loving Liam and the first day she chose to let go.