Five Years Being “Practical,” Then I Made My Dream Pay Off Chapter 07
never expected to see Walter again on that sweltering June afternoon in Hawaii.
After the breakup, he had begged mutual friends for my
contact information multiple times. I turned every request down.
had assumed, barring some accident, our paths would never
I cross again. Yet there he stood right in front of me, wearing
that same soft smile I hadn’t seen in so long.
Long time no see,” he said.
smiled faintly. “Long time no see.”
It had been so long. We were both different people now.
Once he had mocked me for chasing unrealistic fantasies.
Now, one year later, my online career was thriving.
I had been featured among the world’s top one–hundred
content creators. I’d already earned more than my entire
five–year salary at the studio.
I had traveled to thirty–seven countries and
one–hundred–three cities, crossing half the globe.
My videos earned affection and praise from countless viewers.
Nobody called me unfocused, delusional, or self–sabotaging anymore.
I had won something entirely my own: absolute freedom.
Walter’s gaze locked firmly on me. After a long pause, he
sighed and gave a helpless laugh. “Aria, you are incredibly hard to find. Do you realize I have spent an entire year
looking for you?”
Those words didn’t make me feel special or wanted–just mildly surprised.
Before I could respond, Walter pulled me tight into his arms.
His tone was familiar and tender, laced with that old
possessiveness. “Surprised? I’ve done this kind of thing before.
Remember? I chased you for two whole years before you
agreed to date me.”
Back in college, it was true. Walter had pursued me
relentlessly for two years. My focus had been fixed on student
government and academics; I knew nothing of romance,
turning him away again and again. That history was partly
why I had once given up my dream to be with him.
I pushed him away and stepped back. “That’s all in the past.”
“The past?” Walter stared at me in bewilderment.
He frowned, sounding frustrated yet placating. “Alright. I
admit I was wrong not to take you to Europe. I even went
back to your old studio to clear your name. Don’t stay angry
with me, okay?”
I met his eyes. There was sincerity in them. Maybe he really
had spent a whole year searching for me.
Time was funny like that. It gave him the clarity to see how
much he’d hurt me–and gave me the distance to finally let go.
looked down and gave a quiet smile. “Walter, we broke up.
That chapter closed a long time ago.”
“A year ago, I would have been furious–furious that you
dismissed every sacrifice I made, that you chose Zoe over me
for Europe, that you treated her with more care than you
ever showed me. But not anymore.”
“I feel nothing for you. That means I no longer love you.”
All the color left his face under the blazing sun.
I didn’t care what was going through his head and walked
straight past him.
My time was too precious to waste on someone who no longer
belonged in my life.