Liam strolled in with a smile and greeted everyone, but he froze as soon as he saw Stephanie. "Steph? What brings you here?"

Everyone's eyes went wide with shock.

"She has to be here. We were classmates in high school. Come on, Liam the Heartthrob, you're not that forgetful, are you?"

Classmates in high school?

Those few words hit Liam like a ton of bricks.

He stared at Stephanie, shocked, his lips moving as a storm of emotions crossed his face—maybe he felt bad for forgetting Stephanie, or maybe he was confused as to why she never brought it up.

A few young women in the group noticed something was up and started looking back and forth between the two.

"Steph? You're calling her that, huh? Liam the Heartthrob, what's going on between you two?"

Before Stephanie could answer with "just classmates," Liam jumped in. "Steph's my girlfriend. We've been together for six years."

The room exploded with excitement. Everyone started grilling them about their love story.

Liam never expected Stephanie to be his classmate, and she was just as surprised that he'd be so open about their relationship.

The group gathered around Liam and Stephanie and bombarded them with questions, making the duo uncomfortable.

Liam kept sipping his drink, trying to change the subject, while Stephanie slipped away to the restroom.

After knocking back three drinks, the class president, who wasn't much of a drinker, grabbed Liam's hand and started rambling endlessly.

"It makes me so happy seeing you two together. Stephanie finally got what she'd been after. Bet you didn't know she'd been into you for so long, huh?

"There was this one time in gym class—you were asleep in the classroom, and I went back to grab something. I saw her blocking the light so it wouldn't wake you up—that's when I figured out she had a thing for you.

"There were tons of girls into you back then, but Stephanie was the one who really made an impression. Remember when you hurt your ankle playing basketball? She took care of your class duties.

"When you got into a fight with some troublemakers and ended up stuck in an alley, she skipped class to get help for you. When people outside school gossiped behind your back, she jumped in to defend you and got into it with them even though she's such a shy person.

"Young love is so pure and real. I'm so happy for you two. She's a keeper, so you better treat her right, or you'll definitely regret it."

Liam went stiff. This was the first time he had heard all of this.

He always thought they were just in the same college, never realizing Stephanie had been his high school classmate, let alone that she'd secretly loved him for ten years.

Liam recalled how he'd ended up dating her for six years, all because of a promise, while she had no idea about the truth. Suddenly, an emotion he couldn't name hit him, leaving a bitter and unsettling feeling.

He lost the nerve to face her. All he could do was drown his feelings with one drink after another.

Once the reunion was over, Stephanie helped Liam, who was drunk, to get home. She brought a warm towel to clean his face, but he grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go.

Liam gave her a sympathetic look. "Are you stupid? Why didn't you tell me?"

Stephanie knew he probably heard something at the reunion, but she didn't care anymore. She pulled her hand back and said quietly, "Loving you is my choice. It's got nothing to do with you."

Liam was still somewhat clear-headed when he caught her words, and a flood of uneasiness washed over him. He tried to find the right words, but nothing came to him. Eventually, he went quiet.

The room fell silent.

He lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the harsh light, unknowingly showing the tattoo on his waist. It was two simple letters—MS.

On those nights when things felt intense between them, Stephanie would lie in Liam's arms, and every time she saw the tattoo, she'd ask him what it meant.

Liam would pause and look down as tenderness and longing filled his eyes. "A faith, one that's greater than my life itself."

Stephanie had no clue the letters meant Maeve Stewart back then. She took him at his word, without any doubt.

She took on his dreams and faith as her own, even getting the same tattoo. Looking back on everything that happened, she didn't feel heartbroken anymore. It just felt kind of absurd.

But then again, who never dreamed of finding "the one" and living happily ever after when they were younger?

It wasn't until Stephanie went through her fair share of highs and lows that she realized that some relationships just weren't meant to last.

She and Liam had come to a fork in the road, and it was time to go their separate ways.

Liam's head was heavy and foggy, still hungover from the night before. He dragged himself out of bed and freshened up.

Later, he smelled something mouth-watering coming from the living room and saw Stephanie had spread out a feast on the table.

He checked the calendar, saw it was just a regular day, and couldn't help but ask, "Why the sudden feast?"

Setting the table, Stephanie said quietly, "Just a little celebration."

Celebration?

Liam was unsure if she meant celebrating the fact that his injury was almost healed. That was the one thing that seemed worth celebrating to him.

But when he saw the table full of rich, savory dishes, he recalled the doctor telling him to stick to a bland diet. Something felt off, but he decided not to dwell on it.

He pulled out a chair and had just settled in when his phone rang.

It was Maeve.

Liam hesitated for a second, set the fork aside, and answered the call.

The call ended a few minutes later. He slowly got up and glanced at Stephanie, who was already seated and peeling a shrimp as if it didn't matter whether he would join her.

Liam knew she was celebrating for him and felt bad about leaving. So, he came up with an excuse.

"Steph, I've got something I need to take care of. I'll be out for a bit. Go ahead and eat. I'll take you out to celebrate when I return."

"No, it's fine. You handle what you need to." Stephanie shook her head, her gaze meeting his with a calmness like a quiet lake.

Liam's heart suddenly began pounding when their gazes met as if something was about to happen, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.

They stared at each other across the table for a long while before Liam turned and left. After the door closed, Stephanie looked at the empty seat across from her and smiled.

She was actually celebrating the freedom she'd found and the fact that she'd finally learned to love herself. She didn't need anyone else around.

After the meal, Stephanie cleaned up the kitchen, threw the last bits of trash downstairs, grabbed her suitcase from the closet, and left the apartment.

She caught a cab downstairs and headed to the tattoo parlor she'd been to. The owner recognized her and asked what she wanted to get tattooed this time.

Stephanie took in the familiar surroundings, her voice quiet but firm. "I'm not getting a new one. I want to have my last tattoo removed."

The owner caught the look on her face and seemed to get what was going on. A hint of regret crossed his face, and he tried to talk her out of it. "Tattoo removal can be painful, miss. Are you sure about this?"

Painful?

Stephanie had already been through the worst pain life could throw at her. What was a little physical discomfort compared to that?

She knew the removal of this tattoo, which held her past, would be painful and scar her, but it was the only way to move forward and heal.

Without saying a word, she sat in the same spot as before and pulled up her shirt to show her side.

A searing pain shot through Stephanie, and tears began to fall, mingling with her sweat as they trailed down her smiling face.

It seemed like forever, or maybe just a few seconds, but the owner was already done and handed her a tissue.

Stephanie took it to clean her face, thanked him, and grabbed her suitcase before walking out of the tattoo parlor.

She grabbed a cab, pulled out her phone to send Liam a breakup text, and wiped all his contacts from her phone. By the time she finished, the cab pulled up to her destination.

The blazing afternoon sun beat down on Stephanie. She took her train ticket out of her pocket, glanced back at the city one last time, and headed into the station without looking back.