It Was Already Too Late 💔

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Chapter 20: What She Left Behind

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Three days had passed since Maya's funeral.

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Ethan hadn't gone back to school.

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He couldn't.

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Every hallway reminded him of her.

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The library reminded him of the afternoons they spent talking.

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The tree reminded him of the promises they made.

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Even the sound of laughter hurt.

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Because Maya was no longer there to laugh with him.

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One afternoon, Ethan went to visit her mother.

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She opened the door and gave him a sad smile.

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“You can come in.”

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Ethan stepped inside.

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Maya's photographs covered the walls.

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Pictures of her smiling.

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Laughing.

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Living.

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He stopped when he saw one of her holding the white lilies.

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“She loved those,” her mother said.

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“I know.”

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Her mother handed him a small box.

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“She wanted you to have this.”

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Ethan stared at it.

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“Me?”

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She nodded.

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“She left it for you.”

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His hands trembled as he opened it.

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Inside was Maya's notebook.

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The one she had always protected.

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The one she never let anyone read.

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Ethan looked at her mother.

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“Are you sure?”

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“She wanted you to.”

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He opened the first page.

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There were drawings.

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Dreams.

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Little memories.

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Then he reached a page with his name.

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His heart stopped.

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Ethan.

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He began reading.

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I don't know if you'll ever read this.

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But if you do, I hope you're not blaming yourself.

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He stopped.

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Tears filled his eyes.

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He continued.

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You hurt me. You really did.

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There were days when I wished I'd never met you.

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But I don't want my story to end with anger.

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I want to remember the good things too.

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Ethan wiped his tears.

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The next line broke him.

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You taught me something I never understood before.

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Choosing yourself doesn't mean you stop loving other people.

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It means you don't lose yourself while loving them.

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He turned the page.

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If you're reading this, I'm probably not there anymore.

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And if I could ask you for one thing, it would be this:

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Don't spend the rest of your life punishing yourself for the person you used to be.

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Become the person you promised me you'd become.

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Ethan couldn't see the page anymore.

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His tears blurred the words.

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At the bottom was one final sentence.

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I forgive you.

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He closed the notebook against his chest.

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“I don't deserve her forgiveness.”

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Maya's mother placed a hand on his shoulder.

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“Maybe not.”

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Ethan looked at her.

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“But she gave it to you anyway.”

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---

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Months later, Ethan returned to school.

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People noticed he was different.

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Quieter.

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Kinder.

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He joined a group that helped students who were being bullied.

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Whenever someone laughed at another student, Ethan stepped in.

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Not because he wanted praise.

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Because he remembered Maya.

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One afternoon, he sat beneath their tree and opened her notebook.

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He turned to the last page.

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There was only one sentence.

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Live the life I didn't get to finish.

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Ethan smiled through his tears.

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“I will.”

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He looked toward the sunset.

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“I promise.”

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For the first time since Maya died, he stood up without feeling like the world was ending.

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He knew he would always miss her.

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He knew some regrets never completely disappear.

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But he also knew Maya wouldn't want him to spend his life drowning in guilt.

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She had taught him how to choose himself.

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Now it was his turn to choose to live.

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And somewhere in the memories she left behind...

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Maya was still there.

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Not as the girl who had been bullied for loving him.

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Not as the girl he had lost.

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But as the girl who taught him the most important lesson of his life:

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Love should never make you lose yourself.

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And sometimes, you only understand the value of someone...

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when it is already too late.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnL7n0vRf0

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