Chapter 22

The photograph remained in Elena's hands longer than she realized.

She was still sitting there, surrounded by silence, her eyes fixed on the old picture of her and Alexander from that distant day.

She was smiling in it as though the entire world held nothing but kindness for her.

And Alexander...

He was looking at her instead of the camera.

Her eyes lingered on those little details.

His arm around her waist, her shy smile, and the ring shining on her finger. Everything in the picture seemed so simple.

Pure, perfect... and real.

But that special photograph had now become an unbearably painful memory.

She ran her fingertips along its edge, then let out a long sigh.

How distant the girl in that picture seemed now.

She no longer knew whether she missed Alexander himself...

Or her former self...

Or the man she had believed him to be back then.

Her phone suddenly vibrated on the table.

She startled slightly, then looked at it.

Ryan's name appeared on the screen.

She left the photograph on the table and answered the call.

"Hello, Ryan."

His voice came from the other end.

"Finally! You've answered. I've called you twice, and I was starting to wonder if you'd forgotten about your phone."

Elena glanced at the photograph once more, then moved it aside.

"I hadn't forgotten about it... I was just lost in thought."

Ryan chuckled softly.

"I know you well. And when you say you've been lost in thought, it means something is on your mind."

She smiled despite herself. Ryan was one of the few people who had managed to stay by her side without demanding that she explain everything going on inside her.

He knew when to speak and when to give her room to remain silent.

Perhaps that was why she felt comfortable around him.

She said quietly,

"I just needed some time to sort out my thoughts."

"Well, you can sort them out while getting ready to go out."

She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Go out?"

"We agreed to meet today. Or have you forgotten?"

She glanced at the clock, her eyes widening slightly.

More time had passed than she had realized.

"Right... I forgot."

"I expected as much."

She smiled.

"How much time do I have?"

"About twenty minutes. I'll be outside your house by then."

"All right. Give me a little time to get ready."

"Take your time. I'll wait outside."

The call ended.

Elena took one last look at the photograph.

Then she carefully placed it inside her diary.

She closed the diary, and with it, she closed the past.

Or so she thought.

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Some time passed.

Elena could no longer say exactly how long.

Days that seemed alike, brief encounters, hours of work, a few outings with Ryan and Sophia, and long stretches of time spent trying to convince herself that her life was finally beginning to settle down.

She tried not to look back.

She didn't want to know where Alexander was, what he was doing, or whether what he had told her that night had been nothing more than a momentary impulse.

He had said he would return to her life.

But she wasn't ready to wait for him to appear.

She wanted to live.

On that particular day, after spending some time out with Ryan and enjoying themselves, he received an urgent call and had to leave. Elena stepped out of a small shop, carrying a bag in one hand.

The weather was calm, and the street was less crowded than usual.

She walked for a few moments without any particular destination.

She didn't even know where she wanted to go next. Her thoughts were scattered, and her mind was occupied with too many things at once.

Then she noticed a car behind her.

At first, she paid no attention to it.

She was walking along a road where dozens of cars passed every day.

But after a few minutes... she noticed it was still following her.

She slowed her pace slightly, and the car slowed down as well.

She stopped in front of a shop window, pretending to look at something behind the glass.

The car stopped at a reasonable distance.

She raised her head, then continued walking.

A few meters later...

She heard the engine behind her again.

She turned around quickly.

The car was still there.

This time, she began to feel uneasy.

She tried to convince herself that it might be nothing more than a coincidence.

Perhaps the car was simply heading in the same direction.

She tried to ignore it and turned into a side street.

A few moments later...

The car turned after her.

She stopped walking completely.

She turned around.

It was a luxurious black car, moving quietly.

From a distance, there was nothing particularly unusual about it.

But when it came a little closer... her eyes widened.

It was a black BMW she recognized.

It wasn't merely a car that looked like it.

She had seen that car countless times.

In the past, and throughout the years she had spent by his side.

She knew its contours, the way it stopped, and even the seat Alexander usually occupied.

A chill ran through her limbs.

She took a step backward.

She didn't want to believe it.