Chapter Five

The cool evening air wrapped around Ella the moment she stepped out of the hotel.

The rain had stopped.

The streets glistened beneath rows of golden streetlights, reflecting the city's quiet beauty. Cars moved lazily through the wet roads while people laughed as they hurried into nearby cafés and restaurants.

Ella zipped up her light jacket and glanced across the street.

The bar she'd seen from her hotel window looked even more inviting.

Soft jazz music drifted through the slightly open doors, blending with the low murmur of conversations inside.

She hesitated.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

She wasn't the kind of woman who walked into bars alone.

Not before tonight.

Then again...

She wasn't the same woman she had been three weeks ago.

Taking a deep breath, she crossed the street.

The warmth inside the bar instantly welcomed her.

It wasn't loud like the clubs back home.

No flashing lights.

No deafening music.

Instead, soft amber lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over polished wooden tables.

People sat in small groups, quietly talking over glasses of wine and cocktails.

Some laughed.

Some simply enjoyed the music.

Ella suddenly felt underdressed.

She almost turned around.

"Good evening."

A smiling waitress approached.

"Table for one?"

Ella forced a smile.

"Yes."

The waitress led her toward a small table near the window.

"This okay?"

"It's perfect."

After handing her the menu, the waitress disappeared.

Ella barely looked at it.

"Just a glass of red wine," she said when the waitress returned.

"Excellent choice."

As the waitress walked away, Ella let out a slow breath.

She didn't know why she'd come here.

Maybe she just wanted proof that life still existed outside heartbreak.

Maybe she wanted to sit somewhere no one knew her story.

No one looked at her with pity.

No one whispered,

"That's the bride whose wedding was cancelled."

She was just another traveler passing through.

For once...

That felt nice.

A few minutes later, her wine arrived.

She lifted the glass, taking a slow sip.

The warmth spread through her chest.

Not enough to erase the pain.

Just enough to soften it.

She leaned back in her chair and watched people come and go.

An elderly couple danced slowly near the tiny stage.

A group of friends burst into laughter over a joke she couldn't hear.

A businessman sat alone typing on his laptop.

Then...

Her eyes landed on a man sitting quietly in the far corner.

Unlike everyone else, he wasn't talking to anyone.

A half-finished glass of whiskey rested in front of him.

An open book lay on the table.

Who reads in a bar?

Ella found herself smiling.

He looked completely absorbed, occasionally lifting his drink before returning to the page.

He wore a dark sweater with the sleeves rolled to his forearms and simple jeans.

Nothing flashy.

Nothing that screamed for attention.

Yet somehow...

He was the most noticeable person in the room.

Almost as though he carried silence with him.

Realizing she had been staring, Ella quickly looked away.

"Get a grip," she muttered to herself.

"You don't even know him."

Across the room...

Victor closed his book.

He had noticed her almost the moment she walked in.

Not because she was the most beautiful woman in the room.

Although she was undeniably beautiful.

It was her eyes.

There was something about them.

They carried the kind of sadness people tried very hard to hide.

She smiled at the waitress.

She thanked her politely.

She even laughed once.

But none of it reached her eyes.

Victor had seen that look before.

His younger sister had worn the same expression after losing someone she loved.

The expression of someone pretending to be okay.

He wasn't usually the type to approach strangers.

In fact...

He avoided unnecessary conversations whenever possible.

Yet tonight...

Something made him hesitate.

He glanced toward Ella again.

She was staring absentmindedly into her wine as if waiting for it to answer questions she couldn't.

Victor sighed.

"This is unlike you."

He picked up his glass.

Walked across the room.

Stopped beside her table.

"Excuse me."

Ella looked up.

Her breath caught for the briefest second.

Up close...

He looked even better.

Sharp jawline.

Warm brown eyes.

A calm expression.

Not arrogant.

Not overly confident.

Simply...

Comfortable in his own skin.

"I'm sorry to interrupt."

His voice was deep but gentle.

"I noticed there aren't any free tables."

He pointed toward the seat opposite her.

"Would you mind if I borrowed this one?"

Ella looked around.

There were, in fact...

Several empty tables.

She raised an eyebrow.

"I think there are at least five empty tables."

Victor looked around dramatically.

"There are?"

A corner of his mouth lifted.

"What terrible observation skills I have."

Ella couldn't help it.

She laughed.

A genuine laugh.

The first in weeks.

Victor smiled.

"There it is."

She frowned.

"There what is?"

"Your real smile."

The laughter disappeared.

"So you noticed."

"It was hard not to."

He didn't sound intrusive.

Just honest.

Ella looked down at her glass.

"You don't even know me."

"No."

Victor nodded.

"I don't."

A brief silence settled between them.

Then he added softly,

"But sometimes pain introduces itself before people do."

Ella stared at him.

Who says something like that?

Victor cleared his throat awkwardly.

"That sounded much wiser in my head."

She laughed again.

"You always talk to strangers like this?"

"No."

"So why me?"

Victor thought for a moment.

Then answered truthfully.

"Because you looked like someone who didn't want to be alone..."

He paused.

"...but also didn't know how to ask for company."

Ella blinked.

For a second...

She forgot how to breathe.

No one had described her so accurately before.

She gestured toward the empty chair.

"You can sit."

Victor smiled.

"Thank you."

As he settled into the chair opposite her, the jazz band began playing a slow melody.

Outside, rain started falling once more against the windows.

Neither of them noticed.

Ella extended her hand.

"I'm Ella."

Victor shook it gently.

"Victor.''