In a small, dimly lit room, Sarah stared out the window, rain tapping against the glass like a persistent reminder of what once was. The letters she had written and plastered across her walls sang a symphony of memories, words etched in ink that told a story of love, longing, and ultimately, heartache. She had poured herself into those letters, each stroke a testament to the passion they had shared, and each word a plea for closure.

The sounds of the storm outside mirrored the tempest within her. She recalled the countless nights they walked together, their laughter punctuating the silence of empty streets, only to see that same laughter fade into echoes of frustration. "I need you now," he would whisper, but those whispers had become hollow promises, drowned out by the continuous downpour of disappointment.

Hours turned into days, and still, he never came. The chill in her heart seemed to blanket her entire world, leaving her feeling colder than ever. Yet somehow, amidst the chill, there was a flicker of warmth. "I'm keeping warm somehow," she muttered to herself, as she wrapped herself in a knitted blanket that he had left behind.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of movement through the curtain, and her heart raced. There he was, standing outside her window, drenched from the rain, looking lost and desperate. His eyes searched for her, filled with an unspoken apology that she had seen time and time again. Nobody told him that she was done waiting, that the time for tears and aching hearts had passed.

“I’ve come too far to go back there again,” she thought, a surge of anger rising within her. She had held on for too long, clinging to a love that had turned into nothing but a shadow.

As he knocked softly on the glass, pleading eyes locked onto hers, she felt a rush of conflicting emotions. The ghosts of their past — the shared dreams, the laughter, the whispered promises — crept back into her mind. Yet, all she could think of were the lies that had woven through the fabric of their relationship.

“Guess nobody told you,” she thought bitterly, “I don’t need you,” layers of frustration bubbling to the surface. He had abandoned her, left her waiting in the rain while he sought solace elsewhere, and yet here he was, asking for a second chance.

In that moment of clarity, she realized that she had been holding onto a ghost. It was time to reclaim her heart. “I don’t need you now,” she whispered to the wind as she took a step back, her heart steady for the first time in ages. She would no longer dream about a future that included him; she had already rebuilt herself without him.

With one last glance, Sarah turned away from the window, her resolve solidified. Outside, the rain continued to fall, washing away the remnants of a love she once thought she couldn’t live without. She walked across the room, leaving the past in the past, ready to embrace the warmth of her newfound freedom.