Chapter 13: I Stopped Waiting for Him

I didn't go home immediately.

I drove around the city for nearly an hour, trying to quiet the thoughts racing through my head.

Eleni's voice kept replaying in my mind.

“You promised you were going to handle her.”

She had known.

They both knew I was being pushed out.

And while I was trying to save a relationship they had already abandoned, they had been discussing how to make me disappear from it.

When I finally returned to my apartment, there were two missed calls from Kostas.

I didn't return either one.

Instead, I called my mother.

“Mom, I'm coming home tomorrow.”

She immediately knew something was wrong.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm going to be.”

She was quiet for a moment.

Then she said, “That's enough for me.”

The next morning, I drove to my mother's town.

We went to the notary office together.

The replacement property documents were ready.

My mother signed everything again, carefully checking every page.

This time, I didn't let anyone else handle the paperwork.

When the notary stamped the final document, I felt an unexpected sense of relief.

The property was finally being transferred to me.

Not because Kostas had helped.

Because I had stopped depending on him.

On the drive home, my mother looked at me.

“You seem different.”

I smiled.

“I am.”

That evening, I started moving my belongings into my new apartment.

There wasn't much furniture yet.

A bed.

A small table.

Two chairs.

A bookshelf.

But when I opened the front door, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.

Peace.

My phone rang just after midnight.

Kostas.

I watched the screen until it stopped.

Then a message appeared.

“Please don't shut me out completely.”

I stared at it.

A second message followed.

“I know I don't deserve another chance.”

Then another.

“But I need to explain what happened with Eleni.”

I finally replied.

“You already explained enough.”

He responded almost immediately.

“You don't know everything.”

I looked at the message for several seconds.

Then I typed, “I don't need to.”

I put my phone down.

For the first time, I understood that closure didn't require knowing every detail.

Sometimes, the truth you already had was enough.

The following week, I went back to work.

People noticed that something had changed.

I stopped checking my phone during lunch.

I stopped making excuses for Kostas when someone asked about him.

I stopped saying, “We're just having some problems.”

If someone asked, I simply said, “We're no longer together.”

The words felt strange at first.

Then they became easy.

One afternoon, Nora came to my desk.

“I heard you moved.”

“I did.”

“How is it?”

I smiled.

“It's mine.”

She laughed.

“That sounds like the happiest thing you've said in months.”

I looked through the office window.

“It probably is.”

That night, I received a call from an unfamiliar number.

I almost ignored it.

Then I answered.

“Hello?”

A woman's voice spoke softly.

“Is this Romy?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Clara.”

“I used to work with Eleni.”

My expression changed.

“Why are you calling me?”

“Because I heard what happened.”

She paused.

“And because there's something you should know about her.”

I leaned back in my chair.

“What?”

“Eleni didn't just want Kostas.”

“She wanted the life you had with him.”

“And she had been planning how to replace you for much longer than you realize.”

I closed my eyes.

Another piece of the story was coming.

But this time, I wasn't afraid of it.

Whatever Clara had to tell me, I was ready to hear it.

I had already stopped waiting for Kostas.

Now I was finally ready to start living without him.