Chapter 10

Elena sat beside Sophia in the car as the latter drove through the city streets.

Ever since they had left Daniel's house, Sophia hadn't stopped talking.

"Tell me you're not going to say you want to go home."

Elena looked at her in surprise.

"Why would I say that?"

"Because you always do."

Elena smiled.

"I do not."

"Yes, you do."

Sophia glanced at her for a moment before turning her eyes back to the road.

"Ever since I've known you, you've treated sadness like a full-time job."

Elena laughed softly.

"Does that mean you're going to end our friendship?"

"Absolutely not. Who else would put up with your moods?"

Elena laughed softly at her friend's words.

Sophia glanced at her from the corner of her eye and smiled.

She knew that this little laugh meant a lot.

She didn't ask what Elena was thinking.

She didn't pressure her.

She knew when to talk and when to give Elena room to be silent.

And that was precisely what made Elena hold on to her.

A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a large shopping mall.

Elena looked at the building.

"Sophia..."

"No."

"I haven't said anything."

"But I know that look."

Sophia got out of the car.

"Today, the words 'I don't need anything' are forbidden."

Elena sighed and got out after her.

"You're impossible."

"And you're stubborn."

They entered the mall.

A few minutes later, Sophia was carrying several shopping bags while Elena walked beside her.

Elena said, "Didn't you say we were going to buy just a few things?"

Sophia looked at the bags.

"This is just a few things."

"This is way too much."

"Elena, you only bought two shirts."

"And that's enough."

"No, it isn't."

Elena shook her head, laughing.

They stopped in front of a clothing store.

Sophia ushered Elena inside.

"Try this on."

But this time, it wasn't a shirt.

It was an elegant black dress in a soft, understated shade, with a simple, refined design that fell gracefully to just below her ankles without being overly extravagant.

Elena held it in her hands and looked at it admiringly.

"It's beautiful."

Sophia smiled.

"Then try it on."

"I don't think I'll ever wear it."

"That's exactly why I'm making you try it on."

"Sophia..."

"Elena."

They looked at each other.

Then they both burst out laughing.

Elena stepped into the fitting room.

A few minutes later, she came out.

Sophia fell silent for a moment.

She looked at Elena with unmistakable admiration.

"Elena..."

Elena looked at herself in the mirror.

The dress suited her in a way she hadn't expected.

Her hair fell over her shoulders, and her features seemed calmer, as though, for the first time in a long while, she was seeing a different woman in the mirror.

Sophia said, "See? I told you it was gorgeous."

Elena smiled shyly.

"It really is beautiful."

"It's more than beautiful."

Sophia stepped closer to her.

"This dress deserves an occasion worthy of it."

Elena laughed.

"And where am I supposed to wear it?"

"We'll find an occasion."

Elena shook her head.

"You always have a plan."

She looked at herself in the mirror again.

A moment of silence passed.

She was beautiful.

But she wasn't used to looking at herself that way.

Since leaving, she'd focused on work and building a new life.

She'd forgotten to take care of herself.

Sophia spoke softly.

"You deserve to live, Elena."

Elena looked at her through the mirror.

She didn't answer.

But her smile faded slightly.

She placed a hand on the edge of the dress.

"Sometimes, I feel like I left a part of myself in the past."

Sophia moved closer to her.

"That's normal."

"But I don't want it to stay with me."

"Then don't carry it with you."

Elena turned to face her.

"Is it really that easy?"

Sophia shook her head.

"No."

Then she smiled.

"But it starts with a decision."

Elena fell silent.

Then she looked at her reflection once more.

A few moments later, she said, "I'll take it."

Sophia smiled.

"Finally!"

Elena laughed.

"But don't pick out anything else."

"I make no promises."

---

Hours later, they left the shopping mall.

The sun was beginning to sink toward the horizon.

Sophia put the bags in the car while Elena stood by the door for a moment.

She looked at the street.

The people moving about.

The cars.

The sounds.

Everything was ordinary.

Peaceful.

And yet, for a moment, she felt something strange.

As though her eyes had caught sight of something unfamiliar.

She turned around.

There was nothing there.

Just a man standing on the other side of the street, talking on his phone.

She paid no attention to him.

She opened the car door and got in.

Sophia asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Then she smiled.

"Let's go home."

The car pulled away.

Elena had no idea that the man she'd glimpsed hadn't been there by chance.

He was one of Omar's men.

He didn't approach her.

He didn't follow the car.

He simply sent a brief message:

"Everything is normal. There is no danger."

On the other side of the city, the report reached Omar.

He read it, then forwarded it directly to Alexander.

Alexander was sitting in his office when a notification appeared on his phone.

He opened the message.

Read it.

Then locked his phone.

He didn't need to know the details of Elena's day.

It was enough to know that she was safe.

Meanwhile, Elena gazed out the car window at the passing streets.

And for the first time in a long while...

She didn't feel as though she were running away from the past.

She was simply...

Moving forward.