Chapter Three:The Breaking Point

Months passed, and soon the results of their board exams were announced. Both Aiden and Isabella had performed well. With his dream of becoming a doctor in mind, Aiden decided to move to Gray City, a well-known coaching hub in India, to pursue his further studies. His parents, who had always been his pillars of support, accompanied him to the city to help him settle in. Since he had arrived early, finding a place to stay was challenging, but eventually, they secured a single room for him expensive, yet comfortable about two kilometers from his coaching center. His parents wanted to ensure he had everything he needed to focus on his studies.

One day, out of nowhere, Isabella texted Aiden, saying she was moving to Gray City as well. Shocked, he asked, "Didn’t you decide on a different place?"

She hesitated before replying, "Suwar is going there, so I decided to go too."

Aiden’s heart sank. He had always been uneasy about her friendship with Suwar, and now, knowing that she had chosen a city based on her best friend’s presence rather than her own aspirations, made it even worse. Still, he said nothing. A few days later, Isabella moved to the city, and, as expected, Suwar arrived around the same time.

Soon, Isabella started asking Aiden to meet her, but he refused. He was uncomfortable with how close she and Suwar had become, especially since their Instagram stories were often filled with pictures of them together. Despite his feelings, he kept silent. However, the distance between them only grew. Isabella texted him less, and when Aiden asked what she was doing, she almost always replied, "On a call with Suwar."

She was spending late nights talking to Suwar the same way she once used to talk to Aiden.

Then, one day, during an argument, Isabella said something that shattered him completely. "My best friend is my priority. You come after him."

Aiden felt his heart break, but he didn’t fight. He simply watched everything crumble before his eyes. He tried to leave her, but every time he distanced himself, Isabella would cry and beg him to stay. And each time, he stayed, hoping she would realize his worth.

Then, one evening, Isabella confessed something that left him furious. "Suwar is addicted to porn."

Disgusted, Aiden snapped, "How can you even be friends with a guy like that, Isabella?"

"Don’t worry," she replied casually. "It won’t affect me. He’s a good guy."

Aiden couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he said nothing more. A few days later, Isabella and Suwar had a heated argument. Suwar had told her to cut ties with Aiden completely. That was the final straw for her. She finally broke off her friendship with Suwar.

Crying, she came running back to Aiden. He consoled her, thinking she had finally realized that Suwar was never a good person. She apologized for not listening to him all this time. Aiden thought everything was finally falling into place.

But two days later, Suwar texted Isabella, asking for a second chance. Despite everything, she considered reconciling with him. Aiden tried to stop her, but by now, his love for her was fading. He made one final effort to convince her, but her response drained whatever emotions he had left.

"We’re not best friends anymore," she said. "We’re just friends."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Really? He’s not the right guy, Isabella."

She sighed. "I will handle him, don’t worry."

Aiden thought to himself, Really? After everything, you still think you can handle this?

Aiden stared at his phone, his mind blank. "What kind of reasoning is that?" he thought. "Are you just looking for an excuse to keep talking to him?"

He didn’t stop her this time.

Days later, Eve, an old school friend of Isabella’s, reached out to Aiden. "Suwar is not a good guy," she warned. "He was never interested in Isabella for who she is. He only stayed close to her because she was good at studies. He flirts with every girl. He’s a playboy. All he wanted was to sleep with her."

Eve couldn’t tell Isabella this directly, so she asked Aiden to do it. Aiden tried to warn her, but as always, she refused to listen.

Then, the inevitable happened.

One night, Suwar tried to force Isabella into a relationship. When she refused, he showed his true colors. Scared and disgusted, she finally blocked him.

She ran to Aiden again, this time with tears of regret in her eyes. But Aiden had nothing left to give. Coldly, he asked, "What happened?"

Through her sobs, she admitted everything. "Suwar used to tell me to stay away from you. He made comments about my body. He even asked me, ‘If I touch you, will you resist?’"

Aiden was horrified. "How could you ever consider someone like that your priority, Isabella? How could you push away the person who stood by you for more than a year and a half?"

He no longer felt love for her—only pity.

"Forget everything that happened and focus on your studies," he said. "Start a new life."

Then, after a long pause, he added, "And I’m leaving too."

Tears streamed down Isabella’s face. But Aiden had made up his mind. "I can’t understand why you put him above me. I was always there for you, but it was never enough. Goodbye, Isabella."

That night, he blocked her from everywhere.

He thought it was over. He thought he was finally free.

But that evening, his phone rang.

Over forty missed calls different numbers, different people.

They were all Isabella’s friends.

"Forgive her," they pleaded. "She won’t do it again. She’s crying her heart out."

She called too, sobbing, begging him to come back.

Aiden listened, but he refused to answer.

What happened next? Read in the next chapter.

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