Chương 3: Chapter 3: Break My Heart Again.

*Eason*

It seemed like a dream. A bittersweet dream. I had thought about this very moment for years. No matter how hard I tried, her image was seared into my mind - those piercing blue eyes, her soft smile, the way her brown hair fell across her face, the smell of her. Even after five years, I knew I could pick her out from a sea of people wearing identical outfits.

But now, in this less than crowded hall, even when I was almost a hundred percent sure that it had been her, a part of me still hesitated. I didn’t know what to expect.

I stood there, transfixed, gaze darting around the crowded room, searching for something, anything. Searching for her. I wasn’t sure if this was true love anymore or a silly obsession. But God, I couldn’t help how I felt about her and it was killing me.

I was still staring when I felt Daisy’s gentle touch on my arm. Before I could react, she had taken the drink from my hand, passing it off to a nearby waiter. “Dance with me?” she asked, her sultry green eyes, that were nothing like Lena’s, flirting with me.

That was another thing I’d done over the years. I’d compared every single girl I’d come across with Lena. And they all fell short. I knew it wasn’t fair to them, living in the shadow of the ex-girlfriend who had abandoned me, but I couldn’t help it.

I hesitated, glancing around the room, but I didn’t see anyone. It was as if she’d never been here at all. So I nodded, allowing Daisy to lead me out onto the dance floor.

“Do you like my dress?” she asked as we swayed to the music.I glanced down, taking in the vibrant red fabric and the way it clung to her curves. But all I could see were Lena’s blue eyes, haunting me, pulling me back into the past. The music, the room, Daisy - it all faded into the background as I lost myself in memories of what once was.

Even though I had tried - and Lord, how hard I had tried - I couldn’t forget her. Her kisses, the way her tiny arms would wrap around me. I always thought she looked at me like I was the most special human on the planet. Never did I expect that Lena would abandon me someday.

I was barely aware of Daisy or the dance, my mind still firmly fixed on Lena. So much so that as Daisy and I swayed across the dance floor, I accidentally bumped into someone in a familiar flowing blue gown. The woman stumbled, knocking into a nearby waiter, causing his tray of glasses to come crashing to the floor in a shatter of crystal.

The dance came to an abrupt halt as she landed on the perfectly polished floor amidst the spilled champagne. I reached out to help the woman stand.

“I’m so sorry, are you alright?” I asked, my gaze finally focusing on her face. And there they were - Lena’s eyes, staring back at me. But something was off, the vibrant blue I remembered was now dull and lifeless. The sweetness, the warmth - it was all gone, replaced by a hollow, vacant look.

In that moment, it was as if the past came rushing back to me all at once. I could see Lena’s smile, the way her face would light up when she looked at me. I remembered the lucky doll she had given me, a token to ensure we would never be separated.

Instinctively, I took a step forward, an overwhelming need to reach out to this woman who so resembled the Lena I had loved. But just as I moved, another man approached - tall, broad-shouldered, with piercing green eyes and a strong, chiseled jaw.

Without a word, he offered the woman his hand. She took it without hesitation, scurrying away from me. I was left alone on the dance floor, drowning in a sea of memories.

I thought back to that terrible day in the hospital, when the doctors had delivered the news that ended my dreams of a professional hockey career. The brain injury I’d sustained when Jake attacked me had robbed me of the very skills that had once come so naturally. The thought of Jake still made my blood boil. We still haven't found the bastard, and I was itching to make him pay.

Still, I had fought so hard, pushing myself through grueling physical therapy, determined to defy the odds and make a comeback.

And even now, I continued that fight, refusing to let my circumstances define me. But in this moment, all of that determination, all of that hard-won progress, felt pointless. Because standing before me was a reminder of the life I had once envisioned - a life with Lena by my side.

I recalled the painful conversation when she had ended our relationship, the devastation I felt when she hung up on me. I had been so lost, so alone, without her. But I picked up the pieces, finding the strength to move forward.

And yet, here I was, drowning in the past once more, my heart aching. All that practice, all that peptalk gone in a second just at the sight of her.

I was so consumed by these thoughts that I barely noticed Daisy at my side, gently calling my name, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Eason,” she tried again. “Hello?” She shook my arm, and even I wished that was enough to break me out of this spell. But those eyes - even hidden behind the delicate silver mask she wore - I would recognize them anywhere. Lena. My heart raced as I watched her hurry away, clutching the man's hand as they made their exit.

Distantly, I could hear Daisy’s voice, droning on about dancing, trying to regain my attention. But all I could see was Lena, slipping through my fingers once more.

I contemplated chasing after her, every fiber of my being urging me to follow. This was my chance, my opportunity to not lose her a second time. But doubt crept in, a nagging voice reminding me that she had abandoned me once. What’s to say she wouldn’t do it again?

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to try.

I mumbled a swift apology to Daisy, already making my way forward.

“What? Why?” she protested, attempting to follow after me. “We’re still dancing.”

I mumbled another apology and took off, my long strides carrying me swiftly through the crowded community center. The space wasn't that large, and yet it seemed endless. Lena is always just out of reach. I pushed myself harder, ignoring Daisy’s confused shouts behind me, my sole focus on catching up to the woman I had loved. No, the woman I still loved.

There she was, scurrying through the main entrance with that man still at her side. They moved with purpose, Lena’s gaze fixed straight ahead as she hurried toward a waiting cab.

I broke into a sprint, my long legs eating the distance, but it wasn’t enough. Lena slipped into the backseat of the car, leaving the man behind. Before I could reach her, the cab pulled away, leaving me standing on the curb, watching helplessly as she disappeared into the night.

I stood frozen. The pain in my heart was so intense that it was almost physical. I feared that Lena would disappear from me again. And she had done just that. I was almost tired of chasing after her, tired of waiting for her. But my heart wouldn't let me give up. The longing I had for her held me firmly in its grasp.

More memories came flooding back with a fresh wave of emotion that threatened to pull me under.

It had taken me two long years to get back on my feet after the accident, to recover from the devastating brain injury and fully heal my broken wrist so I could grip my hockey stick firmly. And in the end, I had managed to claw my way back, rebuilding my skills and finally getting my career up and running again.

But through it all, I could only think of Lena. I remembered the little house I rented, a cozy home just for the two of us, where I had hoped and prayed that she would return to me.

Once upon a time, Lena had given me two dolls, locked in an embrace, perfectly identical to us as a token of our unbreakable bond. I’d picked it up after my sister had ruined it, saving it with enough hope and faith to fill the world twice over.

Once upon a time, she had left a self-portrait of me tucked away in the pages of her favorite book. I’d found it after two years of being together, trying to figure out why she always had her nose buried in that particular book.

And then, the most painful memory filtered in. I’d pretended to be okay until a week after Lena had broken up with me.

I didn’t even realize I was spiraling out of control as I ran out of the hospital that day, unable to face the reality of my situation. I remembered how I had gone to her house, searching frantically for her, hoping that whatever she said on the phone was a joke. But as I pushed open the blue door, my heart was filled instantly with emptiness.

Lena was gone.

I stumbled into her scattered room, picking up some of her discarded clothes and holding them against my nose. I stumbled through that tiny house, searching for traces of her that I could keep for myself.

I hadn’t registered myself growing unsteady. My vision blurred, and next thing I knew I was crashed to the floor, the world spinning frantically around me. Pain erupted throughout my body. I feared that I had undone all the progress I had made, that my dreams of returning to the ice rink were once again destroyed.

Lying there, broken and defeated, I felt an overwhelming urge to simply give up. I dragged myself to the nearest bar, intent on drowning my sorrows in a haze of alcohol, desperate to forget everything - Lena, the accident, the constant battle to reclaim my life.

I still didn’t know how long I had sat there, nursing drink after drink, willing the world to fade away.

But eventually, I managed to pull myself from the brink, clawing my way back to the present, grateful that I had fought so hard to bring myself back from the edge.

Against all odds, I had made it - I was playing hockey again, my skills sharper than ever. And yet, something was missing. No matter how many goals I scored, no matter how many games I won, there was a hole in my heart that nothing could fill.

Now, as I stood on that curb, watching the last traces of Lena disappear, I felt that old familiar ache returning. The despair and longing that had nearly consumed me. The realization that I had lost her, once again, was almost too much to bear.

Why do you keep running away from me, Lena?

bình luận bình luận của 0

Bình chọn

GỬI QUÀ TẶNG

Load failed, please RETRY