The wind carried a faint hint of salt from the sea as Elena leaned casually against the stone railing, her gaze fixed on the deep green waves below. Her white blazer, tailored to perfection, emphasized her commanding yet fragile presence. Armand stood a few steps behind, watching her as though he was still trying to unravel the mystery of who this woman truly was. A year had passed since he last saw her, but the distance had only made her presence more intense.
“You didn’t think I’d come, did you?” Elena turned back, her voice playfully challenging.
“A part of me was sure you wouldn’t,” Armand confessed, his dark eyes scanning her. “But that part of me hoped it was wrong.”
Elena smiled, but there was something else in her eyes—something beyond playfulness, a shadow of past pain. Armand felt that this was more than just an ordinary meeting; something heavier hung in the air between them.
“And what do you think now?” she asked, stepping toward him with a grace so fluid it seemed she was part of the wind itself. “Why did you call me here?”
Armand cleared his throat, feeling the weight of his words pressing on him with every syllable.
“Because there’s something I never told you. And maybe now it’s too late. But you’re here, and I think that means something.”
Elena raised an eyebrow, almost provocatively. But she stepped closer, her wavy hair catching in the breeze, glowing golden in the sunlight.
“Then say it. Now or never, Armand.”
He gazed at her for a long time, into those eyes that were at once cold and burning, as if Elena’s existence itself was a contradiction. Finally, he stepped closer, so near he could feel her breath, and in a trembling voice, he said:
“I never really left you, Elena. Even now, I can’t let you go.”
Her eyes narrowed, as though searching for something, something she doubted he could give. She said nothing, only turned to face the sea again. The silence between them vibrated.
Then she turned back, and the words spilled from her lips with effortless, cutting precision:
“Did you know I fell in love with you when you made your greatest mistake against me?”
A Question for You:
What would you say to Elena if you were in Armand’s place? Share your answer with us in your own language—we’ll understand and reply to you!
