📖 CHAPTER ONE — The Last Time She Waited
Lena checked her phone for the fourth time in ten minutes.
Nothing.
No message.
No call.
Not even a simple "I'm on my way."
She let out a small breath and glanced at the café door again, trying not to look as anxious as she felt. Around her, people talked, laughed, lived—completely unaware of how heavy something as simple as waiting could feel.
The coffee in front of her had gone cold.
She didn't remember when.
"He's late again?" the waitress asked gently as she passed by.
Lena forced a small smile. "He's… busy."
It came out softer than she intended. Like an excuse she had repeated too many times.
The truth was, she didn't even know if he was coming anymore.
Still, she stayed.
Because that's what she always did.
---
An hour passed.
Then another message finally came through.
Ethan: Something came up. Don't wait.
Lena stared at the screen.
Don't wait.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her phone, but she didn't reply. What was there to say?
Okay.
I understand.
It's fine.
It was always fine.
Even when it wasn't.
---
By the time she stepped out of the café, the sky had already begun to darken. The air was colder than she expected, or maybe she just felt it more tonight.
She walked slowly, her mind quieter than usual.
No anger.
No frustration.
Just… something tired.
Her phone buzzed again.
For a second—just a second—her heart lifted.
But it wasn't him.
She let the screen go dark and slipped the phone back into her pocket.
Maybe this was how it always ended—not with a fight, not with a dramatic goodbye…
But with silence.
---
The sound of tires screeching came too suddenly.
A flash of headlights.
A shout—she wasn't even sure if it was hers.
And then—
Nothing.
---
When Lena opened her eyes again, everything felt… distant.
The light above her was too bright. The air smelled sterile. Her head ached in a way she couldn't quite explain.
Voices echoed somewhere nearby.
"…she's waking up—"
"Lena? Can you hear me?"
She blinked slowly, her vision struggling to focus.
A figure moved closer. A man.
Tall. Familiar… maybe.
His eyes were fixed on her like he was holding his breath.
Relief. Fear. Something deeper she couldn't place.
"Lena," he said again, softer this time. "It's me."
She frowned slightly.
Her lips parted, her voice barely above a whisper—
"…Who are you?"
---
Silence.
The kind that doesn't just fill a room—
but breaks something inside it.