The car sped down the dark highway, headlights cutting through the silence that hung like a noose around your neck.

“Stop the fucking car. Now.” Your voice was low but deadly, shaking with restrained fury.

He didn’t flinch. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m just doing my job! I’m only her tutor!”

You turned to him slowly, your stare sharp enough to slice through his lies. “She’s your ex. Don’t insult my intelligence. Don’t you dare make me feel like a fool.”

His hands tightened on the wheel. “What do you want from me? To quit? To throw away my entire career just to ease your insecurities?”

“Insecurities?” you snapped, laughing bitterly. “This isn’t about insecurity. This is about you still having feelings for someone you swore in the past. This is about respect. Something you seem to forget every time you're with her.”

He slammed the brakes, the car jerking violently to the side of the road. The world outside was pitch black. Inside, the tension was louder than any crash.

His voice cracked. “It’s not that simple! I could lose everything. My job. My license. You.”

“You already are losing me,” you whispered.

He looked like you’d hit him. Then, louder, angrier—“So what? I give up my career? Everything I worked for? Just to prove how much I love you?!”

The words hung there.

Your heart split open. “No. You prove it by choosing me. Not in secret. Not in silence. You prove it by being brave.”

He exhaled shakily, leaning back in his seat, defeated.

You opened the car door slowly. “If I’m just a risk to your future... then you were never part of mine.”

You stepped out, the cold night air wrapping around you like a final goodbye.

And he didn’t stop you.