The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as Milla stepped into the cozy café, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of the day ahead. Oblivious to her surroundings, she made her way to the counter, her gaze fixed on the menu board as she debated between a latte or a cappuccino.
Meanwhile, seated at a corner table near the window, Dario sat sipping on his own cup of coffee, lost in thought as he flipped through the pages of a book. His attention, however, was suddenly drawn away from the words on the page as he caught sight of a familiar figure entering the café.
There she was, Milla, looking as captivating as ever, her radiant presence filling the room with an undeniable energy. Dario’s heart skipped a beat at the unexpected encounter, a rush of nostalgia flooding his senses as he watched her move gracefully through the space.
As Milla settled into her seat, completely unaware of his presence, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of longing stir within him. He hesitated for a moment, torn between the desire to approach her and the fear of what might happen if he did. With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention back to his book, silently wrestling with his emotions as he tried to focus on the words on the page.
He kept sitting at his table, increasingly nervous, wrestling with his conflicting emotions, his hands trembled ever so slightly, betraying the turmoil that raged within him. He tried to shake his thoughts away, reminding himself of the pain and heartache he had endured because of Milla. He had suffered enough for that woman, and he knew he didn’t need her anymore. He had Anna now—a woman who treated him with kindness and respect, someone who made him feel valued and cherished in a way Milla never had.
With a shaky breath, Dario reached for his phone and opened his conversation with Anna. He scrolled through their messages, his heart softening at the morning wishes they had exchanged.
That’s how it was with Anna. Each day, waking up and going to sleep with sweet good morning and good night messages. And in between, throughout the day, their conversation was sprinkled with gentle reminders of their bond. They were small gestures, but they meant the world to him—reminders that he was cared for and cherished, filling him with warmth and reassurance. It was a stark contrast to his relationship with Milla and her coldness bordering on cruelty, where expressions of affection had been few and far between.As he lingered on the last picture Anna had sent him, a warmth spread through his chest. He found her undeniably cute, her smile lighting up the screen.
But then his gaze drifted back to Milla, who sat just a few tables away, oblivious to his presence. She wasn’t just “cute”—she was an angel on earth, a vision of pure divine beauty.
Despite his rationalizations, the pull of his past was undeniable. The memories of his time with Milla flooded his mind, each one painted with both longing and bitterness. With a resigned sigh, Dario finally succumbed to the tug of his heartstrings. He couldn’t resist the urge to talk to her, to see her once more.
He didn’t expect anything grand. After all, he knew she had ended things between them, and he harbored no illusions of a romantic reunion. But now, he found himself in a different place—not weak and vulnerable as he once was, but healed, matured, and empowered by Anna’s support. As he considered approaching her, he acknowledged the lingering turmoil within him, but also recognized the opportunity for closure that awaited. Perhaps by speaking to her, he could finally put the ghosts of their past to rest and move forward with a newfound sense of peace.
Steeling himself for whatever emotions lay ahead, he rose from his seat, his steps faltering slightly as he made his way. He approached Milla’s table with cautious steps, his heart fluttering nervously in his chest. As he reached her, he mustered a hesitant smile.
“Hey, Milla,” he greeted, with an uncertain voice.
She glanced up, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected encounter. For a brief moment, she didn’t recognize him, the meeting catching her off guard. But as she looked closer, the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place in her mind, and she couldn’t help but chuckle internally at the coincidence of running into him right after her morning thoughts about their unusual relationship.
“Hello, Dario,” she replied politely, her tone lacking warmth.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked, gesturing to the empty chair opposite her.
Milla paused for a moment, considering his request. “Sure, go ahead,” she responded, her voice indifferent.
Dario took a seat, his nerves still palpable as he searched for something to say. “Nice weather we’re having today, isn’t it?” he offered, attempting to break the awkward silence.
She nodded, her response terse. “Yes, it’s pleasant,” she replied, her attention already drifting elsewhere.
Despite his efforts to engage her in conversation, he couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that hung in the air between them. It was clear that Milla was polite but disinterested, her thoughts seemingly elsewhere.
As Dario sat across from Milla, a wave of memories flooded his mind, each one a painful reminder of the ways he had been mistreated and belittled in their past relationship. The hurtful words, the dismissive gestures, the relentless criticism—all of it served to make him feel small and irrelevant, igniting a simmering tension despite his initial resolve to seek closure. He struggled to find the right words, his throat constricting with each passing second, until finally, an awkward silence settled between them.
Milla, on the other hand, looked at him coldly, her demeanor aloof and uninterested. She took a sip of her coffee, the steely glint in her eyes betraying a sense of satisfaction as she picked up on his discomfort. It was a twisted sort of pleasure, a glee born from the power she held over him in this moment.
As she observed him squirming in his seat, a grin spread across her lips. In that moment, as she relished in his distress, Milla thought back to the frustration she had felt with her boyfriend earlier that morning. She knew indulging in her fantasies with him would only lead to disappointment and resentment. She would lose her respect and attraction towards Jake, and she didn’t want that to happen so she was forcing herself to hold back.
But here, with Dario, someone she already broke up with, she had no consequences to fear. With a wicked grin, she decided to take the reins of the conversation.
“How are things?” Milla inquired casually, her tone betraying a lack of genuine interest.
“Actually, things are going really well with my job,” Dario responded, a hint of pride in his voice as he tried to impress her with his achievements. He described his recent successes, hoping to elicit some semblance of admiration from her.
But Milla’s response was indifferent at best. “Sounds pretty boring,” she remarked flatly, her lack of enthusiasm cutting through his attempt at boasting. “But good that you seem satisfied” she added with a pretty obviously fake smile.
Dario fell silent, his discomfort palpable as Milla’s cold words hung in the air between them like a heavy fog.
“Love life?” she asked, her tone cutting through the silence with icy precision.
Dario felt a twinge of apprehension as he tried to sound confident. “Not bad either,” he replied after a moment of collecting himself. “In fact, I recently met this very nice girl.”
Milla raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. “Good for you,” she said. Then, with a sly grin, she added, “Things are great for me as well.”
Dario felt a pang of discomfort at her words, a headache beginning to form behind his eyes.
“I guess it had to only go better,” she said with a cruel chuckle. “I’m thinking I just lacked experience back then, how else could I have ended up with someone like you. Luckily, afterwards, each of the guys I have been with has been fantastic.”
Dario felt a knot form in his stomach, regretting his decision to engage in conversation with her. Once again, just a few moments in her presence reignited the intoxicating allure she held over him, despite the bitter aftertaste of their past. It was a paradoxical mix of emotions—desiring her while knowing deep down how poorly she made him feel. Caught in this vicious cycle, Dario felt trapped.
“So…” Milla interrupted his train of thoughts with a wicked smile on her lips. “This girl you met… Is she as beautiful as I am?”
A long silence followed, thick and heavy with unspoken tension.
“I asked a question,” Milla insisted, her tone sharp and demanding.
“She’s… she’s very cute…” Dario finally responded, his voice barely above a whisper.
Milla’s eyes narrowed, unimpressed by his answer. “That wasn’t the question,” she reminded him sharply.
Dario shifted uncomfortably in his seat, searching for words to fill the void. The memories of their past relationship flooded his mind, each one a painful reminder of the heartache he had endured. He hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal to her, knowing that any vulnerability would only be met with indifference.
“Nobody is as beautiful as you are in my eyes. Never been,” he finally admitted, reluctantly, his words heavy with a dangerous truth.
Milla’s grin widened, a sense of victory evident in her expression. “Show me her pic,” she commanded coldly.
“W-why…” Dario stammered, his voice betraying his uncertainty.
“Because I told you so,” Milla replied severely, her words dripping with cruelty.
Dario hesitated, a wave of conflicting emotions spiralling inside him.
He thought of Anna and how kind she had been to him, how she deserved his loyalty and defense. He reminded himself that he should focus on her, protect her from the cruelty of the woman who had shattered his heart and trampled over the pieces.
But deep down, he knew he couldn’t resist Milla’s demands. It was always like this with her—he often felt like nothing more than a loser in her eyes. But despite his reservations, he knew he would ultimately succumb to her demands, just as he always did.
With a heavy sigh, he reached for his phone, his heart heavy with regret. With each passing moment, the weight of his own perceived inadequacy grew heavier, weighing down his spirit and crushing his resolve. As he opened the pic and handed his phone to Milla, he couldn’t help but feel like a loser once again, powerless to break free from the hold she had over him.
Milla’s cruel laughter echoed in the air, cutting through the tension like a blade. “Wow, she’s fat,” she remarked with disdain, her words laced with malice.
Dario felt a surge of anger and indignation rise within him, but he suppressed it, knowing that confronting Milla would only lead to more pain.
“Don’t worry,” she continued, her tone mocking. “It’s actually a good thing.”
Dario’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why is that?” he asked, skeptical.
Milla smirked, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Because,” she explained, “she’s not out of your league, the way I am.”
Dario’s heart sank at her words, the weight of her assessment pressing down on him like a leaden blanket. He knew Milla’s words were meant to wound him, to remind him of his inadequacies. He tried to shake it off, but couldn’t, and the only response he could come up with was to look away in shame.
“Otherwise” Milla insisted, indifferent to his discomfort, “if she was hot, you’d feel too much of a loser, and you would constantly worry that you’re not enough, and you will be heartbroken once she ditches you for a better guy. That’s exactly how it was with me, right?”
Dario sighed, his heart heavy with the weight of her cruel words. “You… you don’t have to say it like that,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
“It’s true, right?” she pressed, her eyes piercing into him with a cold intensity.
Silence enveloped them, thick and suffocating, as Dario struggled to find the words to respond. In that moment, all he could do was hang his head in defeat, knowing deep down that Milla’s words held a painful truth that he couldn’t bear to acknowledge.
“Nevermind,” Milla’s grin widened, her expression filled with cruelty. “I have a better question. Would you ditch her for me?”
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