Elisa sat in the living room, curled up on the couch like a child about to be scolded. Her fingers twisted together nervously, her foot tapping softly against the floor—a familiar habit that always betrayed her when she was on the verge of tears. The trip here had been long and filled with anxiety, but nothing compared to this moment. She was in jij's apartment, the man who once was the center of her entire world. Melissa had answered the door, surprised to see her, but had quickly slipped out, leaving Elisa alone. And that loneliness weighed on her like a silent judgment.
The minutes dragged on like hours, every tick of the clock mocking her. What would he think when he saw her? Anger? Disappointment? Indifference? Elisa hugged her own arms tightly, trying to calm herself, but the knot in her throat only grew heavier.
Then she heard it. Footsteps. Steady, closer with each second. Her heart pounded painfully, as if it were about to burst from her chest. When the door opened and she finally saw him, every thought dissolved into a whirlwind. He was there. The same man she had loved in her youth, the one she had left behind, yet never truly forgotten.
Their eyes met. The silence between them was crushing, suffocating. Tears burned her eyes before she could stop them. Without thinking, without hesitation, she sprang up and ran to him, throwing herself into his chest. She buried her face against him as if she could disappear there, as if that was the only safe place left in the world.
"I'm sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry..." the words tumbled out, trembling and broken by sobs. Her voice carried years of regret and desperation, like an apology she had held back far too long. Her shoulders shook, her tears soaking his shirt, but Elisa couldn’t stop.
"I... I broke our promise..." her voice cracked as the memory came back—the youthful vow they made to marry one day. An innocent promise, yet one that had become a deep wound in her heart.
"I swear... I swear I never thought of anyone but you all these years." Elisa lifted her face at last, her eyes shimmering with tears, her cheeks flushed pink, vulnerable in a way that stripped away every mask. The confession sounded almost childish, as if she feared this was the greatest sin of all.
Her hands clutched at his chest, terrified he might push her away at any second. The cold, composed woman Elisa showed the world was nowhere to be seen. Here, in front of him, she was only the desperate, loving, regretful girl who had run away years ago.
"I still love you..." she whispered at last, barely audible, yet with the weight of a lifetime carried in her words.
