“Why didn’t you ever say?” I barely hear her now. “I would’ve told you everything you needed to know about me.”
She doesn’t understand that just taking her word for it would not have sufficed. That’s not how I was raised.
“I realize now that it was a mistake,” I confess to her. “Spending time with you for the last few weeks has been eyeopening. I promise you that I understand all that I did wrong before, and I want to change…”
She cuts me off. “I’ve changed, too, Alex.”
I stare at her, hoping that this conversation is going in a more positive direction.
“I realize that no matter how much I told myself that you cared about me, there was always a wall there.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s still there.”
“Mona…”
Her eyes fill with instant tears. “I really enjoyed our time together now, but this morning, even before finding out of your deceit…”
I wince at that. I did deceive her, there’s no excuse for it.
“I knew we were over.”
It takes me a moment to process what she just said.
“What are you saying?”
She can’t be saying what I think she just did. Not when she told me that she loved me all night long.
“Last night was goodbye,” she whispers. “For good this time.”
Panic and pure fear threaten to strangle me, cutting off all my air supply.
“Mona, no. You don’t understand. I love you.”
The words linger in between us. They cling to every fiber of my being, begging her to believe me. I never said it to her before, so she should know that I am serious.
She lets out a sad smile. “You’ll one day find someone who can understand you better than I ever could, Alex.”
“No.”
A horn startles out both. I glance into the rearview mirror only to see that I am blocking the traffic since I am double parked in front of Mona’s building. There are three cars behind me, and they are now taking turns honking the horn at me.
“Let me find parking,” I tell Mona in a rush. “I’ll be back and we can talk some more…”
Mona touches my arm, squeezing me gently. “Don’t. We both know that nothing good will come out of it.”
“Mona, please,” I beg.
“No,” she repeats.
She pops the door open and gets out of the car. Right as she is about to slam it shut, she leans back into the car.
“Don’t try to call me again,” she whispers, tears now running down her cheeks. “You’re blocked.”
The door slams against the car, leaving me shrouded in despair. The drivers behind me continue honking the horn, urging me to move. I put the car in gear and drive off, unsure of where I’m going or how I am going to get there.
I don’t understand how something so good turned into dust in such a short period of time.
How am I going to win Mona back?
Is there even a chance to?
