In The End, She was My Beginning

Chapter 2: A Forbidden Encounter

The next day, Luna couldn’t shake off the heavy feeling in her chest. She walked through the streets, the usual sounds of the city muted in her ears. Everything seemed different now. Her heart ached with every step, and the world around her seemed too bright, too loud. Collins wasn’t there to share it with her.

It had been days since the breakup, and Luna hadn’t heard from him. She had tried calling, sending messages, but it was like he had vanished. His social media was silent, his phone went straight to voicemail.

She tried to focus on her classes, but even in the middle of a lecture, her mind drifted back to him. Why had he ended it? What had happened to make him push her away like this?

Luna sighed, her mind a jumbled mess. She just couldn’t let it go. She had to know what was going on with him. If he wasn’t going to talk to her, maybe she would have to find him and confront him herself.

After class, Luna found herself walking in the direction of the park, the place where it had all ended. Her feet carried her there without her even thinking about it.

She reached the park and stood by the fountain, her hands trembling. The place was empty except for a few people walking dogs, a couple of children playing.

But as Luna walked farther into the park, she froze. There, under the tree where they had once sat together, was Collins.

His back was turned to her, but there was no mistaking him. Luna’s heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat. She stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

Should she approach him? Demand answers? Or just turn and walk away?

But before she could make a decision, Collins turned around. His eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, time seemed to stop.

Luna felt a pang in her chest. She wanted to rush to him, to wrap her arms around him and make everything go back to the way it was. But something in his expression held her back. He looked... distant. He looked like he was hiding something.

"Collins," Luna called out softly, her voice trembling.

He stiffened at the sound of her name, and for a moment, neither of them moved. The space between them felt vast. He was no longer the person she thought she knew.

Luna took a step forward, her heart pounding. "Why did you do it? Why did you break up with me?"

Collins opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. He looked away, running a hand through his hair. His jaw clenched as if he was struggling with something deep inside.

"Luna," he finally said, his voice low, "I... I can't explain everything."

Luna’s eyes searched his face for any hint of the person he had been. But all she saw was someone who had built walls, someone who was determined to keep her out.

"I don’t understand," Luna whispered, taking another step toward him. "You just... left. I don’t know why. What happened?"

Collins’ face hardened. "There’s more to this than you think," he said, his voice growing sharper. "You don’t know everything. You don’t know what’s at stake."

Luna felt a chill run through her. What was he talking about? What could possibly be more important than their relationship?

"Then tell me!" she pleaded. "I deserve to know the truth."

Collins’ eyes flickered with something unreadable. "I can’t," he said, his voice breaking. "You wouldn’t understand."

Luna’s frustration grew. "How can you say that? I want to understand, Collins. I want to know why you’re pushing me away!"

He turned away from her, running a hand over his face as if trying to gather his thoughts. "You wouldn’t be safe if you knew," he muttered under his breath, though Luna caught every word.

"Safe?" Luna repeated. "What do you mean by that? What are you hiding?"

Collins didn’t answer. He stood there, his back turned to her, shoulders tense. It was clear that whatever secret he was holding onto, it was something he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—share.

Luna felt the tears building behind her eyes. “You can’t just leave me in the dark like this. I need answers. Please, Collins, I need to know why.”

The silence between them was thick. Luna wanted to scream, to beg him to tell her everything, but she could see in his eyes that he wasn’t going to open up.

“You don’t understand,” he repeated, voice tight with emotion. “You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t know what you’re involved in.”

Luna’s breath hitched. “What do you mean? What’s going on? Why won’t you tell me the truth?”

Collins sighed deeply, turning around to face her. His eyes were filled with pain, but there was a coldness to them too. “Because I’m trying to protect you.”

Luna shook her head, disbelief washing over her. “Protect me? From what?”

But before Collins could respond, there was a sudden rustle from the bushes nearby, followed by a shadow moving quickly through the park. Luna didn’t have time to react before Collins’ hand shot out to grab her arm, pulling her closer.

"Stay close to me," he said urgently, his voice low.

Luna’s pulse quickened. "What’s going on?" she asked, fear rising in her chest.

But Collins didn’t answer. He was already scanning the area, his eyes darting from one direction to the next, as if he was expecting something—or someone.

“Collins, what is it? What’s happening?” Luna asked again, panic creeping into her voice.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he tightened his grip on her arm and pulled her away from the path, leading her to a quieter, more hidden part of the park.

Luna’s heart was racing now. What was he so afraid of? Who was coming? And why was Collins so desperate to protect her?

As they reached a secluded bench, Collins stopped, his expression serious. “You need to leave. Now. It’s not safe here.”

Luna opened her mouth to protest, but Collins cut her off.

“No questions. Just go. Please.”

Luna stood there, frozen for a moment, trying to make sense of everything. But then, with a deep breath, she nodded and turned to leave, her mind whirling with confusion and fear.

As she walked away, her heart heavy with unanswered questions, she couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever Collins was hiding, it was much bigger than she cou

ld ever imagine. And she had no idea how deep she was about to get pulled into it all.