"Good morning, I bought two boxes of cookies for my queen. This is your favorite, right? Wake up now, love, and get your breakfast," I stretched for a bit and quickly got up.

I immediately headed to the bathroom to take a shower. After I finished, I sat beside my boyfriend on the small couch in our room. I hugged him as a way to show my appreciation for giving me my favorite treat.

“It's literally a good morning for us, huh.”

“Of course it is—your favorite, right? What do you want? Coffee or milk?” I asked, which made him smile.

“Coffee please, lovey, but it better come with a kiss later, so I’ll have energy for work,” he said with a raised eyebrow, making me roll my eyes.

“Stop it already!”

“Come on, just this once?” he said, pouting.

He’s right. I rarely kiss him because I’m not comfortable with it, but he respects that. Still, I give in to him every now and then.

“Fine, later.”

After I made his coffee, I gave him a kiss on the lips, which made him smile brightly.

“Thank you,” he said while munching on the cookies.

I got dressed so we could head to our little flower shop together. I really love flowers, especially those made into bouquets, so our room is filled with them. Clyden doesn’t mind at all since we share the same taste—he even prefers the colorful ones.

Yes, his name is Clyden, and I’m Chelsea Myrrh—I forgot to mention that earlier.

"I'm heading out now, love. Take care here, okay?" Clyden said as he hugged me tightly.

"That hug was intense."

"Couldn't help it. My girlfriend is too beautiful—just like that flower," he said, pointing at the tulips.

Tulips are one of our favorites. I was the one who loved them first, but eventually, they became his favorite too.

"Aren’t you leaving already? Go or you’ll be late. Take care!"

“Goodbye!” he yelled as he closed the door. I waved goodbye in return.

---

One week later...

“Love, I need to leave the country. I want to take you with me,” Clyden said as he hugged me. He came home during lunch unexpectedly.

“Take me where?” I asked, confused. I noticed his eyes were red, as if he’d been crying.

“I want to be with you. I promised I’d be with you forever, right? I want to prove that—I want to marry you, love.”

“Hey! What’s going on!? Please, tell me!” I said in panic, and I know he could see the worry in my eyes.

“I want to fight for us, but I can’t do anything, love,” he sighed before continuing.

“We have something we need to fix in Paris with my parents and grandparents. I want to bring you, but they said something bad might happen to you there… They said I might not be able to take care of you properly. We might even stay there for a month or more because the paperwork is difficult.”

His tears started to flow—and so did mine.

“I want to bring you, or maybe even stay here with you instead. But I realized that we’re building a future together, and that future depends on this, love. I want to reach our dreams together,” he said as he cried on my shoulder.

I understood him. I truly did. But… what about me? He’s going to leave me? But I didn’t want to think of that now. I knew we would make it through.

“L-Love! L-Love, listen. You said it might take just a month, right? I-It’s only a month, love…”

“No! I can’t live without you, Chelsea. I made a promise, right? I said I’d always be by your side,” he stammered, so I held his cheek and turned his face to me.

“You said our future depends on this. Maybe… maybe this is the right time to start our little family too.”

…He continued to cry, until we both slowly calmed down.

---

Clyden was now packing his bags. His suitcase was ready. It was painful to see the one I love the most leaving, but I knew it was for our future. So we decided to endure the separation—for just one month.

“I haven’t even left yet and I already miss you,” he said with a smile, holding his suitcase.

I quickly walked toward him, kissed him deeply, and hugged him while crying.

“I have to go. My parents and grandparents are waiting,” he said.

I nodded and smiled at him.

“Goodbye, love. I love you so much!” I watched him wipe his tears as he turned away.

I closed the door and broke down in tears.

---

One month and two days passed, and I hadn’t received a single call from Clyden’s family—not even his mom or dad.

I was busy arranging bouquets when my phone rang. It was an unknown number, so I answered right away.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hello, is this Mrs. Chelsea Myrrh Tores? Wife of Mr. Clyden Serrano?”

I was confused—why Mrs. and Mr.? We weren’t even married yet.

“Yes?”

“We are sorry for your loss, Ma’am. The Serrano family was in a terrible accident. They were scheduled to return to the Philippines, but the plane crashed yesterday. Many people died. The Serrano family was among the passengers. We offer our deepest condolences, Ma’am.”

My knees gave out. I collapsed on the floor. I couldn’t breathe. My tears were endless. I screamed from the pain of losing Clyden and his family.

I didn’t know what to do. Some of my customers came to comfort me. Maybe they already knew. Clyden was well-known in our area, so news spread fast.

“W-WHY DIDN’T I KNOW!?”

I could barely breathe as I sobbed and screamed. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t turn back time. I should’ve stopped him from leaving.

“If only I had gone with him… maybe we’d still be together now—even in the afterlife.”

---

“I wish Daddy would be here, Mommy…” my son Cedrick said tearfully.

Yes, we have a baby. I was already two months pregnant before Clyden passed away. It hurts so much knowing our child will grow up without a father.

Our baby is now three years old. My heart is happy watching him grow up so fast, but the pain of the past still lingers like it just happened yesterday.

“That day... That day was the last time your Dad said goodbye.”

---

Red light, green light.
It’s time to move on.
But it’s hard to let you go.