Elena was shocked.
She stared at the message for a long while, not even blinking.
Why would he reach out? she thought. He said he didn't want me anymore. So why now? Why come back now? What does he want?
Her chest felt heavy as she dropped the phone on her bed. For days, she'd trained herself not to think of him — to block, to erase, to survive. Yet, here he was again, the name she once prayed would never pop up on her screen.
And then there was Marcus — still trying, still searching for ways to reach her.
Sometimes, he'd show up at her gate, calling her name.
But Elena wouldn't even peek outside. The moment she heard his voice, she would lock the door, stay still, and wait for him to leave.
He became a shadow she refused to acknowledge.
School had resumed already, but Elena hadn't gone back yet. She was broke, exhausted, and still picking up the pieces of her life. Her mother was slowly recovering, her sister too — but both of them could see the emptiness in Elena's eyes.
She smiled less, talked less, and carried the weight of everything in silence.
Every day was survival. No luxury for pain. No time to cry.
She had to take care of her family, gather money, and somehow, keep herself from falling apart.
Then one evening, while scrolling through her mom's phone, she opened WhatsApp — and there it was.
A new message.
**"Ey, what's up? I've been trying to reach out. I saw you blocked me on Snap, and I've been trying to call but it's not going through. I said let me check if you haven't blocked me on WhatsApp, that's why I'm texting here.
I don't even know if I should say this, but I miss you. I miss your food, your voice, everything about you.
I haven't even gone back to my house since we fell out — I've just been staying with my friend.
Honestly, I've been thinking about you. I can't focus. I just… want to see you."**
Elena read it again and again.
Her breath caught somewhere between anger and confusion.
But deep down, her heart started beating faster — that same rhythm she'd been trying to silence.
She wasn't thinking straight.
She just needed someone — someone familiar, someone who once made her feel seen.
And right now, Nathan was that person.
So she replied. Slowly at first, explaining what had happened — how she was robbed, how her phone was stolen, and how she'd been using her mom's phone to manage her business.
Nathan responded,
"Oh, sorry about that. That must have really killed you."
Then, before she could even reply, he added,
"Can we meet up? I just want to see you."
Elena hesitated.
She told him, "I don't have a phone right now, and I can't take my mom's out. I don't even know how we're going to meet."
A few minutes later, a message came in.
"Check your account. Get a small phone. I'll come pick you up."
She froze. The money was there.
That night, she couldn't sleep. She sat by the window, watching the quiet street outside — the same road that once felt like freedom now looked like a question mark.
Should I go? Should I not?
By morning, she'd made up her mind.
She dressed up simply, tied her hair back, and walked to a small phone shop nearby. The sky was cloudy — calm, but heavy, like it knew something was about to happen.
She bought the smallest phone she could find. Nothing fancy. Just something that worked. Something to keep the line open.
And then, she texted Nathan.
Minutes later, a car stopped by the roadside.
He stepped out.
Nathan.
It had been one month — one long, quiet month — since they last saw each other.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
It felt unreal. Like time had paused, like every ache and memory had led to this single breath.
Nathan smiled faintly. "You look different."
Elena tried to smile back. "It's been… a lot."
He nodded, eyes softening. "I know."
And without another word, he opened the car door.
She hesitated for a second, fingers brushing against the new phone in her pocket — the same one that brought her here.
Then she took a deep breath… and got in.
As the car pulled away, the air between them was quiet — not awkward, just uncertain.
A kind of silence that said: something is beginning again.
After a month of pain, heartbreak, and loneliness —
they saw each other again.
And this time… the air felt different.
Little did she know, it wasn't real.
This time… he came for?