Chapter 18 – Please Don’t Go

The argument started quietly.

That was the worst part.

Aiko stood near the window, arms folded, watching Sakura pace the room like a caged animal. Outside, the guesthouse buzzed with wedding preparations, but inside, the air was heavy and tight.

“Who is he?” Aiko asked.

Sakura stopped. “Who?”

“Your boyfriend,” Aiko said calmly. “The one you used as an excuse to push Haruto away.”

Sakura looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”

Aiko’s voice sharpened. “It matters because you hurt him.”

Sakura laughed, short and defensive. “You barely know him.”

“I know enough,” Aiko replied. “I know you.”

Sakura stiffened.

Aiko stepped closer. “You’ve done this before. You chase excitement. You fall fast, get bored faster. One boyfriend after another. Thrills. Drama.”

“That’s not fair,” Sakura snapped.

“Isn’t it?” Aiko shot back. “You run when things become real. And this time, someone stayed.”

Sakura’s chest tightened. “Haruto chose to involve my parents. He crossed a line.”

“He chose you,” Aiko said. “Even when it scared him.”

Silence fell between them.

“He loves you,” Aiko continued quietly. “Not the loud parts. Not the chaos. The real you.”

Sakura swallowed hard. “Then why does it hurt so much?”

“Because this time,” Aiko said, “you felt it too.”

Sakura turned away, fists clenched.

Aiko exhaled, voice breaking slightly. “He left. He and Kenji are on the train.”

Sakura froze.

“What?”

“He didn’t want to pressure you anymore,” Aiko said. “So he stepped away.”

Something snapped inside Sakura.

She rushed to the drawer, hands shaking, pulling out the small jewelry box. The silver earrings glinted softly in the light.

She put them on.

“They suit you,” Aiko said softly.

Sakura didn’t answer. She grabbed her bag and ran.

The station was loud. Trains arrived and departed. Announcements echoed. People moved without noticing the girl running through them, heart pounding, breath uneven.

Kenji spotted her first.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he muttered. “She actually came.”

Haruto stood near the platform edge, staring at the tracks.

“She didn’t,” he said quietly.

Kenji pointed. “Doctor. Behind you.”

Haruto turned slowly.

Sakura stood there, hair slightly messy, earrings catching the light. Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to breathe.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“You’re late,” Haruto said softly.

She stepped closer. “Don’t go.”

His jaw tightened. “Sakura—”

“Please,” she said, voice trembling. “Stay.”

Kenji awkwardly cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh… buy juice.”

He disappeared.

Sakura looked up at Haruto. “Tomorrow… my boyfriend and I are getting married.”

The words hit him like a slap.

“Oh,” he said.

Silence stretched between them.

She swallowed. “So stay until then.”

Haruto stared at her, emotions crashing inside him. “You want me to stay… to watch you marry someone else?”

Her eyes filled. “I want you to stay because if you leave now, I’ll never forgive myself.”

He laughed quietly. Not amused. Just tired.

“Sakura,” he said, “do you know how cruel that sounds?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Then why say it?”

“Because I’m scared,” she admitted. “Because everything feels wrong. Because I don’t know how to choose.”

Haruto closed his eyes.

The train whistle sounded.

Passengers began boarding.

“I stayed when you pushed,” he said. “I stayed when you joked. I stayed when you hurt me.”

He opened his eyes. “But I can’t stay as a backup.”

Tears slid down Sakura’s cheeks. “I don’t want you as a backup.”

“Then choose,” he said softly.

She couldn’t.

The doors began to close.

Haruto stepped back.

“I hope you find peace,” he said.

The train pulled away.

Sakura stood frozen, earrings heavy against her ears, realizing too late that real love doesn’t wait forever.

And for the first time in her life…

Thrills meant nothing at all.