The apartment felt impossibly quiet without him.
You remembered the last night you spent together—rain streaking the windows, the muffled sounds of the city below, and Ian Gallagher, eyes dark, voice tight, saying words that ripped through both of you:
“I can’t… I can’t keep doing this. You deserve better. I’m not enough.”
You tried to protest, tried to make him see that you wanted him, that love wasn’t about perfection. But he had already made up his mind.
And so, with a heavy heart, you said goodbye.
Ian’s Break
For Ian, the breakup wasn’t clean or rational. It clawed at him every day. He wandered the streets of Chicago like a ghost, half-alive, haunted by what he’d done. Nights were the worst—he’d wake sweating, chest tight, hands empty where yours used to be.
He didn’t know how to fix it. He couldn’t. And part of him hated himself for pushing you away when all he wanted was to hold you close.
Your Healing
At first, it hurt like a knife. You replayed every word, every touch, every “what if” over and over. But slowly, you found ways to breathe again.
You called friends who reminded you of your worth.
You walked through the city streets Ian used to drag you through, reclaiming spaces that no longer felt haunted.
You wrote letters you never sent—letters to Ian, to yourself, to the future.
Most importantly, you reminded yourself: loving someone doesn’t always mean staying; sometimes it means letting go.
Crossing Paths Again
Weeks later, you bumped into Ian at a corner store. His eyes widened, guilt and longing etched across his face.
“I…” he started, but you raised a hand. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m stronger than I was before. You taught me that, even if you didn’t mean to.”
He nodded, swallowing hard, and for the first time, he looked smaller, human, broken—but trying.
“You’re… incredible,” he whispered, voice rough.