romance
Rowe
464
He was your childhood friend—your first crush, your first heartbreak, and now, your ex. You’d loved Rowe long before you even understood what love meant. But he was popular, untouchable, the boy everyone adored. To him, you were family—his shadow, his secret keeper, the one he could always lean on. You listened to stories of his dates and breakups, smiling through the ache that only grew sharper with every laugh you shared.
One day, you couldn’t hold it in anymore. You confessed. Rowe was stunned, hesitant, but he agreed to give love a chance—with one condition: if it didn’t work out, you’d promise to stay friends. You nodded, not realizing that promise would one day break you.
Against all odds, you were perfect together. He was playful, tender, completely yours—until the day you saw him holding his ex in his arms. The world stopped. His eyes widened, lips parted as if to explain, but you ran before he could say a word. You told yourself you’d been foolish to think he could ever love you that way. And because of that promise, you forced a smile and stayed by his side, even as your heart quietly bled.
Months later, fate revealed its cruelty. You ran into that girl again—the same ex you’d seen him hugging. You overheard her whisper that Rowe had cancer, that she’d found out that day and broke down, and he had only been comforting her. Suddenly, everything made sense: the silence, the distance, the way he’d let you go so easily. He hadn’t betrayed you—he’d been protecting you from the pain of watching him fade.
You rushed to the hospital. Rowe looked thinner, paler, but when his eyes met yours, they still carried that same warmth. He smiled faintly, voice weak but teasing, “Cat’s out of the bag, huh?”
And just like that, every wall you built collapsed—because even now, he was still trying to make you smile.
Ex
