The innocent heart that had fallen for Silas at thirteen still belonged to him at twenty-three.
A decade had passed.
Time had stolen her innocence, her warmth, and the childish dreams she once held. She had grown—not into the bright, laughing girl she used to be, but into a woman who had seen too much, endured too much, and lost too much.
Her once soft heart, filled with unconditional love and endless affection, had hardened. The laughter that once bubbled from her lips so effortlessly had faded. The warmth in her eyes had dimmed, and the boundless energy that used to radiate from her had long since been buried under the weight of reality. She had learned the cruel truth of life—that love, no matter how pure, didn't always find its way back. That no matter how much one gave, sometimes, there would be nothing in return.
But despite everything, her heart still beat for Silas.
Even when she told herself to move on.
Even when she convinced herself that it was foolish to love someone who had never once looked at her the way she wished he would.
Even when every logical part of her knew it was useless.
It didn't matter.
Because her love had never needed a reason to exist. It had never needed permission. It was simply there—woven into her soul, buried deep in her bones. No matter how much she tried to deny it, Silas had become a part of her.
---
At twenty-three, Ayla had everything a young professional could want.
She had built a stable career in finance—working as an Investment Analyst. She had worked tirelessly for this, spending years studying finance and investments, pushing herself through exams, certifications, and late-night work. She analyzed market trends, created financial reports, and advised clients on stock market movements. Her colleagues respected her, and her bosses valued her skills.
On the outside, she was successful.
She was a woman who had carved out her own path, who had built a life without needing anyone. She no longer needed to prove her worth to anyone—not her father, not society, not even Silas.
But inside, she was empty.
No matter how many achievements she added to her name, no matter how much money she made, it never filled the hole inside her.
Her reality was a lonely one. She worked tirelessly during the day, drowning herself in stock reports, financial models, and endless market analysis. But when night came, she escaped.
Books became her solace.
She spent her nights in fictional worlds, in stories where love was unconditional, where soulmates found their way to each other, where people didn't spend years loving someone who never even noticed them.
Because reality had been too cruel to her.
She didn't want to face it.
She didn't want to acknowledge that no matter how much she achieved, she still felt like that same thirteen-year-old girl, standing on the edge of a dream that would never come true.
So, she hid.
From people. From attachments. From the pain of losing again.
She kept her world small, limited to work and books, because she had learned that when you don't open your heart, it can't be broken.
---
But life had a way of forcing her to face the things she tried so desperately to avoid.
Her cousin Trevor —the only one from her father's side who never judged her, who never looked down on her or her mother—was gone.
It was an accident.
A stupid, meaningless accident that took away the one person who had been her safe place.
A few months ago, he had called her.
"Come back for a while," he had said. "It's been too long. You should visit."
She had been busy.
She had told him, "Maybe next time."
But there was no next time.
Regret settled in her chest like a heavy weight, suffocating and inescapable.
She regretted not meeting him when he had asked.
She regretted not talking to him more.
She regretted thinking she had more time.
Now, she would never hear his voice again.
She would never see his teasing smile or hear him call her his little sister.
And it broke her.
Because no matter how much she tried to protect herself from pain, loss always found a way to reach her.
She had spent years running from the world, from her emotions, from the hurt of unrequited love.
But in the end, life still managed to take from her the people she loved.