Chương 2: The Meeting
Kael's footsteps on the sand were barely audible, but Selene sensed him before she saw him. The air around her seemed to tighten as his presence loomed closer, the years between them collapsing in an instant.
"You're back." His voice was cold, cutting through the warmth of the beach.
Selene's heart clenched. She hadn't been prepared for the bitterness that dripped from his words, though she knew she should have expected it.
Slowly, she turned to face him. Time had changed him, but not as much as she had thought. He was still devastatingly handsome, his tall frame now more imposing, his black hair slicked back, and those green eyes, eyes she had loved so much now hardened.
"Kael," she breathed, her voice soft.
He said nothing, his gaze scanning her as if he was seeing a ghost. "Why are you here, Selene?"
Her throat tightened. She had rehearsed this moment in her head a hundred times, but now that she was here, the words refused to come. What could she say? That she missed him? That she regretted leaving?
"To see my parents," she finally managed.
His jaw clenched. "Your parents." He repeated the words slowly, as if they were unfamiliar. Then, his eyes flashed with something darker. "And what about me? Did I ever cross your mind?"
Selene looked down, the weight of his question pressing on her chest. Of course he had crossed her mind he had been on her mind every single day since she had walked away. But how could she explain the restless, suffocating feeling that had driven her to leave? The feeling that staying in the safe, perfect world they had built would slowly kill her spirit?
"I didn't know how to stay," she whispered.
Kael's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, she saw the hurt behind his cold exterior. But he quickly masked it with anger. "You didn't try."
Selene flinched at his words, but before she could respond, she heard voices calling from the distance.
"Kael! Selene!"
They both turned to see their childhood friends, Lyra and Damian, approaching from the shoreline, their faces lighting up with excitement. For a brief second, the tension between Selene and Kael eased, as if the arrival of their friends brought them back to simpler times.
Lyra, with her radiant smile and infectious energy, wrapped Selene in a tight hug. "I can't believe you're really back!"
Selene forced a smile, hugging her friend tightly. Lyra had always been a constant, her optimism and joy grounding them all. Beside her, Damian stood quietly, his dark eyes unreadable, though there was a subtle warmth in his gaze as it flickered toward Lyra.
"We missed you," Damian said softly.
Kael scoffed, stepping back. "Some of us more than others."
Lyra shot him a warning glance, but he had already turned away, heading toward the water without another word.
Selene's heart sank. She knew this wouldn't be easy. But facing the reality of the pain she had caused was far more agonizing than she had anticipated.
As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows on the sand, Selene realized that coming back wasn't just about seeing her parents. It was about confronting everything she had left behind including the love she had abandoned.
And maybe, just maybe, finding a way to heal the scars she had left on Kael's heart.
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