The next day, Eliza didn't go to school. She couldn't.
The idea of walking into that building, seeing his face — the face that used to feel like home — and pretending everything was fine… it made her chest ache so hard she thought she might actually break apart.
She stayed in her room, curtains drawn, shutting out the sunlight like it was an unwelcome reminder that the world was still turning. Her pillow was damp from crying, but the tears wouldn't stop. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him. With her. With Lily. The image burned into her mind like a cruel joke, replaying over and over until she thought she might scream.
Her phone buzzed for what felt like the hundredth time.
Lucifer:
"Princess, where are you? You okay?"
Another buzz.
"You sick or something? You never skip school. Let me know, okay?"
She stared at the messages through blurry eyes, her heart twisting painfully. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard. She wanted to reply — to pretend she was fine, to let him think everything was normal.
But nothing felt normal anymore.
She dropped her phone onto the bed, face down, like it physically hurt to hold it. She couldn't talk to him. Not now. Maybe not ever.
She had waited too long. Hoped too much.
And now, Eliza was done.
The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. She couldn't keep living like this — stuck in the in-between, hoping one day he'd turn around and see her the way she saw him. It hurt too much. It wasn't fair.
She buried her face in her hands, her voice coming out in a shaky, broken whisper.
"I can't do this anymore."
She didn't want to love him anymore. Didn't want to feel the way her heart ached every time he smiled at her like she was just Eliza — his best friend, his sidekick, his "Princess."
She wanted to erase it all.
The laughter. The late-night calls. The way his voice made her stomach flutter. The way he felt like home.
She wanted it gone.
Her phone buzzed again. This time, she didn't even check it.
Her throat tightened as fresh tears stung her eyes. She clenched her fists against the blanket, anger bubbling up alongside the heartbreak.
Anger at him, for being so clueless.
Anger at Lily, for taking what wasn't hers.
But mostly — anger at herself. For believing, even for a second, that he might pick her.
That she might ever be enough for him.
Her chest heaved with a broken, muffled sob.
"I should've never fallen for him," she whispered to the empty room. "I was so stupid."
For a moment, the room felt too small. Too suffocating. She needed air, needed to get out. But her legs felt heavy, her heart even heavier.
She pulled the blanket tighter around her, curling into herself. Her body shook with silent, breathless cries — the kind that made her feel like she was falling apart from the inside out.
Somewhere in the distance, her phone buzzed again.
She didn't care.
She wasn't his Princess anymore.
She wasn't anything at all.
And maybe, if she could convince herself hard enough… maybe she'd finally stop feeling this way.
Maybe she'd finally stop loving him.
Even if it killed her.
---
Her phone buzzed again, but this time, it wasn't him.
It was Ava.
Ava:
"Eliza, are you okay? Why didn't you come today? I'm worried."
Eliza stared at the screen, her vision blurring again. For a second, she wanted to ignore this too. But it was Ava.
Her chest tightened painfully. She couldn't push Ava away — not when her heart felt like it was barely holding together.
Her fingers trembled as she typed:
Eliza:
"Can you come over? Please."
Ava didn't hesitate.
Ava:
"I'm on my way."
Eliza dropped her phone again and curled up, waiting.
It wasn't long before she heard the front door open downstairs, muffled voices — her mom talking softly to Ava. Then, light footsteps on the stairs.
The door creaked open.
"Eliza?" Ava's voice was soft and full of worry.
Eliza didn't look up. Her voice was barely a whisper. "It hurts, Ava."
Without another word, Ava crossed the room and climbed onto the bed, wrapping Eliza in a tight, warm hug. That was all it took for Eliza to break completely.
She sobbed into Ava's shoulder, ugly, uncontrollable sobs that shook her entire body. All the hurt, the disappointment, the hope she held onto for so long — it poured out of her like a flood that wouldn't stop.
"I waited for him," Eliza choked out between cries. "I sat there for hours, Ava. He didn't come. He was with her."
Ava held her tighter. "I'm so sorry, Eliza. He's a blind idiot. He doesn't deserve you."
Eliza shook her head. "It's not even his fault. He doesn't know. He never knew. I just… I thought maybe this year would be different. I thought maybe he'd see me. Really see me."
Ava didn't say anything for a moment. She just stroked Eliza's hair, letting her cry.
After a while, Eliza's sobs slowed to quiet sniffles. Her throat felt raw, her body heavy and drained.
"I want it to stop," she whispered. "I don't want to feel like this anymore. I can't… I can't keep hoping. It hurts too much."
Ava leaned back, looking Eliza in the eyes. "You don't have to stop feeling, Eliza. You loved him — you still do. That's not something you can just turn off. But you can stop waiting for him to see it."
Eliza stared at the ceiling, her heart twisting. Ava was right. The truth hurt, but it was still the truth.
She wanted to hope, wanted to keep loving him — but now, she was more afraid of getting hurt… afraid that holding him too tightly might end up breaking her instead.
To be continued....
💬AUTHOR'S NOTE
This one… hurt.
I don't even know how to explain it — Eliza's pain felt like it was mine too.
You know that kind of love?
The quiet, hopeless kind?
Where you're just there — always there —
Loving them from the sidelines,
Wishing they'd look at you the way you've always looked at them?
Yeah… that love.
I literally cried writing this chapter.
It's the kind of ache that crawls into your chest and just… stays.
Because sometimes, being someone's best friend hurts more than being a stranger.
How do you feel?
Did your heart break too?
Because mine's in pieces. 💔
Let me know in the comments —
Lets cry together with eliza 😭