💔 The Bench by the Lake

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The cold wind whispered through the trees as **Mira** sat on the old wooden bench by the lake. It was their place. Her and *his*. The one spot where laughter once echoed, where quiet moments felt eternal, and where time used to stand still.

But now, time hurt.

Her fingers trembled as she clutched the sleeves of his old hoodie — the last piece of him she still held onto. The scent had faded, but the memories hadn’t.

She stared at the lake’s surface, its stillness a reflection of how empty her heart felt. Tears streamed down her cheeks silently, freely, as if the clouds above wept with her.

She missed him.

Not in the ordinary way people miss someone. She missed him like lungs miss air. Like the night misses the sun. She missed the sound of his voice that could calm any storm inside her. She missed the way he said her name — like it was the most important word he’d ever spoken.

She had been strong for so long. Pretending. Smiling. Laughing when people were around. But now, alone under the gray sky, she let it all out.

“Why did you have to go?” she whispered, her voice breaking as her sobs grew louder. “You promised me forever.”

The trees didn’t answer. The wind didn’t carry his voice back.

All she had were the echoes of memories and a bench that used to hold two hearts. Now, it only carried one — broken, grieving, but still beating.