You take a deep breath, hands trembling around your mug. Your heart beats faster, each pulse carrying the weight of years of confusion and frustration.

“Tom,” you say, your voice steady but firm. “I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. The mind games, the man!pulations, it’s all too much. I’m tired.”

Tom leans back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly, though he keeps his tone casual. “Tired of me? Is that what this is about? You think you can just walk away?”

You feel a pang of guilt. “Yes. I’m walking away from all of it. I don’t care about the promises, the lies, or whatever you’ve been trying to pull on me. I’m done.”

Tom chuckles softly, as though he’s heard it all before. "You think you can just erase me like that? You think you can get rid of me and everything we’ve shared?” He leans forward, eyes locking with yours. “You’re wrong.”

The air shifts. It’s almost as if time slows for a second.

“You’ll remember me,” he says. “You’ll always come back to me. Because without me... you’ll forget who you are.”

Your throat tightens as something in the back of your mind stirs, a creeping sensation that your memories are starting to twist. You try to shake it off, but it’s as though his words are sinking into the very fabric of your reality.

“No,” you say, more to yourself than to him. “I won’t... I won’t let you do this.”

Tom smiles a little, and his eyes glitter with something d4rker than you’ve ever seen. “You think you can escape me, but you won’t. I’ll make sure of that. Every time you try to leave, I’ll pull you back. You’ll forget what I did, what you tried to do, and you’ll come back. You always do.”

Your vision flickers. You remember moments — sweet, tender, p4inful — but they all blur into one endless loop. Tom. Always Tom.

“You won’t even remember this conversation,” he continues. “But I’ll be there. In the back of your mind. You won’t be able to get rid of me. No matter how hard you try.”

And just like that, the words fade from your mind, as if they were never even spoken.