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1035 Words
Shattered Promises
Sim had thought love could withstand any storm. For years, she had believed Ethan’s words: “You’re the one I choose.” But now, those words felt like lies whispered in the wind.
The news of Ethan’s arranged marriage with Aira had broken her, but what cut deeper was the silence afterward. Days turned to weeks, and Ethan didn’t come. No message. No letter. Nothing.
Her heart whispered that maybe he was forced. But her mind screamed louder: He’s gone. He chose them over me.
And so, Sim closed the last page of her sketchbook and told herself she had to survive without him.
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The Weight of Misunderstanding
What Sim didn’t know was that Ethan was fighting. He had argued with his parents, clashed with Aira, even threatened to leave home. But his family was ruthless. “If you go to her,” his father spat, “we will ruin her. Do you want that girl dragged through the mud?”
So Ethan stayed silent, believing it was the only way to protect her. But to Sim, his silence was betrayal.
Aira, torn between loyalty and guilt, fed the misunderstanding further. “He’s trying, Sim,” she once murmured. “But maybe… maybe his family is right. Maybe he can’t give you the life you deserve.”
Sim felt her trust crumble. If even her best friend doubted Ethan’s love, how could she believe?
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The Second Male Character – Adrian
It was during this time of darkness that Adrian entered her life.
Adrian was nothing like Ethan. Where Ethan was reserved, Adrian was open, confident, even playful. He was a literature student who volunteered at the community center where Sim sometimes painted murals for children.
He noticed her sitting quietly one afternoon, staring at an unfinished canvas.
“You paint storms like someone who’s been struck by lightning,” he said, gently setting down a stack of books.
Sim blinked, startled. “I just… paint what I feel.”
“Then you must feel deeply,” Adrian replied. “That’s a gift, Sim. Most people only skim the surface.”
It was the first kind word she had heard in weeks.
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The Care She Needed
Adrian began appearing more often. He’d bring her coffee during her long painting hours, tease her into smiling when she thought she couldn’t, and listen when silence was all she had to give.
Unlike Ethan, who had once been tangled in shadows of his family, Adrian was free—untethered, bold, unafraid to laugh loudly or say what he meant.
“You deserve someone who chooses you every single day,” he told her once.
The words stung, because they echoed what she had once believed Ethan had done. But coming from Adrian, they felt like a balm.
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Ethan’s Struggle
Meanwhile, Ethan was drowning. Every day, he longed to run to Sim, to tell her the truth—that he hadn’t abandoned her, that his silence was protection, not betrayal.
But each time he tried, his parents tightened the chains. They flaunted the engagement with Aira, whispered threats of destroying Sim’s reputation if he disobeyed.
He saw Sim once from afar—walking beside Adrian, who carried her paint supplies. She was smiling faintly. Ethan’s heart shattered.
She’s moving on, he thought bitterly. Maybe she doesn’t need me anymore.
And so the misunderstandings grew, building walls where there once had been bridges.
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Sim and Adrian’s Bond
Adrian never pushed. He didn’t demand her love, but he offered his presence. On rainy nights, he walked her home under an umbrella. On sleepless evenings, he shared poetry that spoke of heartbreak and healing.
“You don’t have to be strong all the time,” Adrian said softly once, when he caught her wiping silent tears. “Let someone else carry you, Sim.”
Her heart ached at his kindness. With Ethan, love had felt like fire—burning, consuming, fierce. With Adrian, it felt like a steady flame—gentle, safe, constant.
And for the first time, Sim wondered: perhaps love wasn’t meant to be storms and battles. Perhaps it was meant to be peace.
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The Widening Rift
Rumors began spreading. Students whispered that Sim had replaced Ethan with Adrian, that Ethan had chosen Aira over her, that the “great love story” had ended in betrayal.
Ethan heard them and burned with jealousy. He cornered Adrian one evening outside the community center.
“Stay away from her,” Ethan growled.
Adrian didn’t flinch. “Why? Because you broke her heart and left her alone? You had your chance, Ethan. You let her drown, and now you’re angry that someone else is helping her breathe?”
The words cut deep. Ethan staggered back, guilt consuming him.
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Sim’s Confusion
When Sim found out about their confrontation, she was furious. “Ethan, you don’t get to tell me who can or can’t be in my life. You left me. You let them decide for you.”
Ethan’s voice cracked. “I never stopped loving you. I stayed away because I wanted to protect you. Don’t you see? Everything I did was for you.”
But Sim’s heart was raw. “Protect me? By breaking me? By letting my best friend be offered as your bride?”
She turned away, tears blurring her vision. Ethan reached out, but Adrian was already there, steadying her, shielding her from the storm of his words.
And in that moment, Sim realized she stood at a crossroads: between the boy who had once been her everything, and the man who was now offering her peace.
The story didn’t end there. Sim’s heart was torn—half still bleeding for Ethan, half learning to heal in Adrian’s care.
Ethan, desperate and jealous, vowed not to give up, even as his family’s grip tightened. Adrian, quietly patient, continued to stand by Sim, offering a kind of love that asked for nothing in return.
And Sim, caught between fire and calm, between past and present, wondered: Was love meant to be endured like a storm—or embraced like shelter?
Her answer had not yet come.
The storm was far from over.
- Writer
