Will be the Last Time

The woman sat in an empty chair, waiting for the man who had invited her to meet him after work. As she waited, Serena fell into a moment of reflection, lost in her own thoughts as various memories suddenly flooded her mind. Her expression turned somber, and her heart began to feel uneasy with a lingering dilemma about her relationship with Rhys. Serena knew she had to end things, but figuring out how to convey this to Rhys weighed heavily on her.

Recalling her main purpose in accepting Rhys's invitation today, Serena reminded herself that she needed to compose a statement to end their relationship amicably. She also had to prepare herself emotionally, acknowledging that her heart might waver after meeting with Rhys.

Her musings were abruptly interrupted when a man suddenly appeared from behind. "Hey, gorgeous! Is this seat taken? Mind if I join you?"

Serena, without moving her head, replied, "Sorry, but I'm waiting for my boyfriend!" She had no intention of making eye contact with the man behind her.

"Oh, really? But I'll still sit here because I want to know if your boyfriend, the one you're waiting for, is more handsome than me or not!" The man suddenly pulled the chair next to Serena and prepared to sit. Serena, realizing this, instinctively tried to hold it back, gripping the chair to prevent him from sitting.

"You—" Serena's sentence got stuck in her throat as she looked up and found Rhys, who had been teasing her all along. Serena's initially irritated expression transformed as she realized that the man was Rhys. "R-Rhys..."

Rhys just smiled at her, pleased to have successfully teased his girlfriend. "Why are you staring at me like that, beautiful? Are you enchanted by my handsomeness? Are you falling in love with me now? Doesn't that mean I'm more handsome than the boyfriend you're waiting for?"

Serena's face turned rosy as Rhys continued to tease her. She could only smile shyly while turning her face away.

"Why are your cheeks blushing? Did I speak the truth?" Rhys poked Serena's cheek with his index finger, playfully teasing her and making her even more embarrassed. Instead of stopping, Rhys became more enthusiastic about teasing her. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Would you cheat on me and leave your boyfriend?"

"Rhys, stop! Don't keep teasing me like this." Serena couldn't help but keep smiling because of his antics. Rhys truly succeeded in making her feel awkward with his playful behavior.

"Haha, okay, I'll stop." Rhys chuckled while pulling a chair and sitting next to Serena. "Have you been waiting for me for so long? There were a few things on the way that I had to take care of first. So, I'm a little late. I apologize."

Rhys suddenly reached for Serena's hand and kissed the back of it, causing Serena to reflexively gaze at him.

"No, I just arrived," she replied.

"Really? Thank goodness. I'm relieved that I didn't make you wait too long." Rhys tightly held Serena's hand. "I've missed you. It feels like we haven't met in ages, even though it was just two days ago."

"That's because we've been too busy with our work. It's only natural that it feels like a long time."

"And it frustrates me. I feel like marrying you right away so we can meet every day."

"Rhys, you know—"

"I know you still want to pursue your dreams," Rhys interrupted. "I'm just talking. If that's your decision, I'll always support you and wait until you're truly ready to get married. Because, just so you know, I only love you, and I could never turn to another woman."

Serena locked eyes with Rhys, who now cupped his cheek. From his gaze, Serena could see the sincerity in his words, and he appeared genuinely earnest. Serena knew that Rhys had deep feelings for her. But the more Serena realized, the more she remembered that their meeting today wasn't to enjoy their moments together. Instead, it was to end everything.

Serena fell silent for a moment, her expression turning somber. She lowered her gaze, unable to make direct eye contact with Rhys. It would feel too heavy for her to express her intentions while they exchanged glances like this.

"Rhys, actually, I—" 

"Oh! I almost forgot. I invited you to meet me because I also want us to have fun all day. Let's go out and spend time together until the evening!" Rhys cut her off. Even before Serena could say anything, he immediately grabbed her hand, taking her to the cashier's table, ordering a few cups of coffee, and leaving as soon as their order was ready.

"Rhys, I can't go anywhere right now because I still have to work tonight."

"I want you to skip work tonight, so you don't have to go! I just want us to have fun." Rhys took Serena to a place where they had spent a lot of time together.

Initially, Serena rejected every invitation from Rhys. But as time passed, Serena started to think that perhaps they should create beautiful memories for the last time before she ended it all. That day, they spent a lot of time laughing and creating unforgettable moments. However, Rhys never realized that those beautiful moments would become the most painful ending in his life.

Slam!

The door to his apartment was shut tightly. Rhys didn't want anyone to disturb them tonight. As soon as the door was locked. The man immediately pulled Serena's slender body into his arms. Serena smiled and locked eyes with Rhys in such proximity.

Rhys kissed Serena passionately on the lips. Making both of them drift into a world that increasingly feels perfect. Serena reciprocated his every play until, without realizing it, their kiss became even wilder. A passionate kiss that made them want more than just the touch of their lips.

Rhys' big hands had now even moved to unbutton the shirt Serena was wearing until several buttons were open, and Rhys could see the beautiful body of his lover that had always made him crazy. "Can we just get to the point?"

Rhys whispered in her ear passionately. Serena only smiled at Rhys' words. The man was too honest. Then, without warning, his hands immediately moved to pick up Serena's body and carry her into the room. He dropped Serena's body on the bed and returned to playing with her lips. This time, his kisses began to move down every inch of Serena's body.

She could only sigh as Rhys really turned her on. With her hands, Serena unbuttoned Rhys' shirt and took it off until she could see the man's sexy body. His body looked perfect with his broad chest and his sculpted abs, which looked so beautiful. Serena would never get tired of seeing Rhys' seductive curves.

"I love you, Serena..." Rhys whispered as he looked at her intensely in such proximity. He kissed her lips again, and in the end, they enjoyed the night passionately, drenched in sweat. That night, Rhys' apartment room witnessed their hot romance as usual.

*

Serena slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times until her vision cleared. The first thing she felt upon waking up was the pain all over her body from their nighttime activities that had extended almost until morning. She wasn't sure what happened to Rhys, but last night, he seemed somewhat different—more wild than usual. They even went through several rounds until Serena was completely drained and unable to keep up.

Serena rose from her position, sitting on the bed in silence, gazing at Rhys, still asleep beside her, bare-chested and wrapped only in a blanket. He appeared sound asleep due to exhaustion.

In the end, I couldn't say anything at all. Everything I should have said overwhelmed me until I forgot, enchanted by all the beautiful moments with you. This is what I feared. I can't tell you that I want to end our relationship. You're the perfect man, Rhys. But you're too perfect for a lowly woman like me. Serena got lost in her thoughts. Her eyes welled up, realizing that this morning would be the last time she would see the face of the man she loved so dearly. Because after this, everything they went through would only be painful memories for both of them.

"I don't know whether to call our meeting lucky or the opposite. Honestly, I'm thrilled to have met you, Rhys. But I think we were never meant to be together. Because we come from different worlds. You're the perfect man, with everything: handsome looks, abundant wealth, and a worthy life. While I'm just a woman working day and night to survive. Orphaned and willing to do anything for money. Even if it means I have to surrender my body. I'm truly undeserving of you, Rhys. If we continue, it will only ruin your life and lower your dignity. I can't allow that. I don't want the person I care about to be disgraced just for being with me. I'll let you go, Rhys... Just seeing you happy from afar is enough for me. I know this won't be easy. But, I beg you, after all this, when you wake up later..." Serena paused, tears already dampening her beautiful face. Her chest felt incredibly tight. This was truly difficult. But she had to go through with it for their mutual well-being. Serena wiped away her tears, trying to remain composed so that her sobbing wouldn't wake Rhys from his slumber.

"...Forget me, and pretend I never existed in your life. Consider all the beautiful moments we shared as nothing but a dream." Serena shifted her gaze elsewhere while wiping her tears. She couldn't bear to look at Rhys while saying these painful words.

Serena shifted her attention to other things. She moved down from the bed and picked up her bag. Inside, Serena could see the plane ticket she had booked from Collisionity—Pandora—to Future City—Scienetopia. Her flight was scheduled to depart in a few hours. With limited time, Serena quickly gathered all her clothes and put them on without intending to take a shower first. She had no time; Serena had to leave before Rhys woke up.

Once dressed and ready to go, Serena checked her phone. She has seen dozens of unanswered messages and calls since last night due to her phone being on silent mode. All these messages and calls were from the owner of the club where she worked. Lost in her time with Rhys, Serena forgot to inform her boss that she couldn't make it to work last night.

Serena turned her gaze to Rhys. She approached him, staring at him one last time. "Forgive me, Rhys..."

Serena struggled to hold back her tears. She left a farewell kiss on Rhys's forehead before finally leaving the place, allowing Rhys to rest undisturbed. When she reached the apartment lobby, Serena suddenly received a phone call from someone. Upon checking the name displayed on the screen, she answered the call without hesitation.

"You haven't forgotten our deal, have you?" A cold voice from a woman resonated through the other end.

"No," Serena murmured, trying to stay composed.

"Good. I hope you'll keep your promise."

"Rest assured, I would never go back on my word. Because you've helped me and funded everything, I wouldn't dare break our agreement."

"Okay, then what about the task I assigned?"

"I've completed it as per your request, and as we agreed, I'll be leaving this morning."

"I'm surprised you're more efficient than I thought. But I'm truly pleased that you're a woman of your word, and as a bonus, I've prepared something for you. I've arranged everything, so you just have to leave, and I've placed it in the usual spot."

"Alright, I understand."

The woman on the other end then unilaterally ended the call. Once Serena was seated in the taxi that would take her to her destination, she fell silent, trying to calm herself. She didn't want to dwell on any memories associated with Rhys because, from this moment on, she no longer had any connection to him. Serena turned off her phone and redirected her focus to other things to clear her mind.

"I'm truly sorry..." Serena whispered softly. She couldn't bring herself to forget everything. Her heart was too painful and her chest too tight to act as if nothing had happened. In the end, Serena could only cry throughout the journey to her destination.

***