Time Heals All Wounds By Oliver Thomas 29 Summary
The morning after submitting her withdrawal application, the narrator faces a daunting day filled with tasks, feeling overwhelmed but determined to move forward. Meanwhile, her phone keeps buzzing with messages from Tanner, who sends repetitive Venmo payment notes mixed with casual, somewhat needy texts. She hesitates, unsure if she should respond or seek closure after their long history.
Curiosity leads her to check Instagram, where she finds a post from Ayla explaining a recent accident that landed her in the ER. The photos reveal Tanner caring for Ayla with tenderness and exhaustion, showing him staying overnight to keep her company. This glimpse into their closeness stings deeply, especially as the comments suggest a romantic connection that the narrator hadn’t fully acknowledged before.
The revelation that Tanner chose his school not for her, but for Ayla, shatters the narrator’s assumption about their relationship. She feels reduced to just a part of Tanner’s complicated “situation,” intensifying her sense of loss and betrayal. Despite the emotional turmoil, she turns off her phone and continues packing quietly, determined not to cry over Tanner again.
The chapter ends with the narrator grappling with a dull, persistent ache, symbolizing her struggle to accept the end of their relationship and her resolve to move on without looking back.
Continue Regular Chapter Reading Below
The following morning, I went out to collect my stamped withdrawal application. Holding the official leave notice firmly in my hand, I faced a daunting list of tasks that awaited me. The day ahead felt overwhelming, yet necessary.
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Tanner was sending me messages through Venmo payment notes—each one a small digital nudge.
“Transfer $20.”
“Morning, sleepyhead. You up yet?”
“Transfer $20.”
“Hey, you still haven’t unblocked me on Instagram. Forgot?”
“Transfer $20.”
“Didn’t sleep all night. I’m wrecked.”
I stared at the screen, my heart heavy with indecision. Should I respond? Should I say something—anything? After all these years, didn’t we at least deserve a clean break, a proper ending?
But then I opened Instagram.
Ayla had posted.
The caption read: *Took the bike a little too seriously last night? Landed myself in the ER. Someone’s skipping Thanksgiving break to keep me company.*
There were three photos.
The first showed a box of Jollibee chicken sitting on a hospital tray, the bright red packaging a stark contrast to the sterile white walls around it.
The second was taken from a princess-carry angle, Tanner’s strong arms wrapped carefully around Ayla as he held her with gentle strength.
The third photo captured Tanner asleep in a chair beside her hospital bed, his head tilted back in exhaustion. Ayla’s bandaged leg rested casually across his lap, her foot uncomfortably close to his groin.
So that was why he hadn’t slept.
I scrolled through the comments, each one tightening the ache in my chest.
“Lowkey shipping y’all, ngl.”
“She stayed the night? That’s not just ‘bro’ behavior, lol.”
“Wait, didn’t he choose this school because of you?”
Ayla’s reply caught my eye:
“Yeahhh, his scores could’ve gotten him into somewhere better, but he didn’t want to go too far. So he dragged his whole situation here?”
Someone else wrote:
“Kyla the heartbreaker strikes again. Teach me your ways, omg.”
A sour, heavy feeling settled deep in my stomach.
All this time, I had believed he picked this school for me.
But it was for her.
What was I then? Just a part of the “situation” he had dragged along?
I switched off my phone and continued packing in silence.
The pain was there—a dull, persistent ache—but I refused to cry.
We were already broken up.
I wouldn’t let myself cry over him again.
Conclusion
The quiet weight of realization settled over me, a bittersweet mix of loss and acceptance. The life I had imagined, intertwined with Tanner’s, was now clearly a memory etched in the past. Yet, beneath the ache, there was a flicker of strength—a resolve to face the overwhelming tasks ahead and to reclaim myself from the shadows of what once was. Time, I understood, would be the healer of these wounds, slowly mending the broken pieces of my heart.
Though the pain lingered, I found solace in the clarity that came with letting go. The chapter with Tanner had closed, and with it, the illusions that had held me captive. In this quiet moment of solitude, I embraced the difficult truth and prepared to move forward, carrying the lessons of love and loss as a quiet testament to my resilience.
What to Expect in Next Chapter?
The next chapter promises to delve deeper into the tangled emotions that have been quietly simmering beneath the surface. As the protagonist grapples with the realization that Tanner’s choices might never have been about her, readers can expect a raw exploration of heartbreak, self-worth, and the struggle to find closure. The tension between past hopes and present realities will likely intensify, making every interaction charged with unspoken feelings and unresolved questions.
Meanwhile, Tanner and Ayla’s unexpected closeness introduces a new layer of complexity, hinting at shifting alliances and the blurred lines between friendship and something more. How will these evolving relationships affect the fragile dynamics among the characters? The next chapter will invite readers to witness the delicate balance between holding on and letting go, as well as the painful yet necessary steps toward healing.
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
