Waves of fate

Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Beginning of Healing (Continued)

The days after her conversation with Ethan were some of the longest of Lila’s life. She found herself constantly checking her phone, waiting for a message, a sign, anything that might indicate that he was ready to talk, that he was willing to try again. But each day passed without a word, and the silence began to feel like a weight pressing down on her chest. She couldn’t stop replaying their last exchange—his hesitation, his words about needing space, about needing time to heal.

Was I too late? she wondered, staring out the window of her studio. She hadn’t heard from Lucas either. He had respected her request for space, but his absence felt just as heavy. She could sense the distance between them, and it was as though their connection, once so thrilling and full of promise, had withered in the aftermath of her indecision.

Lila had always prided herself on being a decisive person. She had always known what she wanted, and if there was a challenge, she faced it head-on. But now, everything felt out of her control. She had allowed her heart to be torn between two men, two paths that had once seemed so clear, but now seemed impossibly complicated.

The gallery had become Lila’s sanctuary, a place where she could escape from the whirlwind of emotions that seemed to consume her. But even within its walls, she felt a sense of isolation. The art that had once been her voice, her expression, now seemed distant, like it belonged to someone else. The canvases on the wall were reminders of how much had changed in her life. She walked around the gallery slowly, running her fingers over the textured surfaces of the paintings, her mind wandering back to Ethan and Lucas.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She turned to see Olivia, her best friend and the gallery’s manager, standing in the doorway with a concerned expression on her face.

“Hey, you’ve been holed up in here for days. How are you doing?” Olivia asked softly, stepping inside.

Lila hesitated before answering. She had tried to keep her emotions in check around Olivia, not wanting to burden her friend with the mess she had created. But now, standing in the quiet space of the gallery, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I don’t know,” Lila confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I had everything figured out. But now I don’t know if I’ve lost it all.”

Olivia studied her for a moment before sitting down on a nearby chair. “You’ve been through a lot,” she said gently. “You can’t expect to have it all figured out overnight. But you’re going to have to face it eventually.”

Lila nodded, her fingers trembling as she absently touched the edge of a canvas. “I know. I’ve hurt both of them, Olivia. Ethan… he trusted me, and I betrayed that trust. And with Lucas, I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore. I’ve hurt them both by being indecisive. And I don’t know if I can fix it.”

Olivia let out a soft sigh. “You can’t fix it right away. You have to work through the mess you’ve made. You can’t undo the past, but you can choose how you move forward. That’s all you can do.”

Lila looked up at her friend, the weight of her words sinking in. She had been so focused on trying to resolve everything immediately, on finding a quick fix. But Olivia was right. The healing process would take time. And she couldn’t rush it.

“I just feel like everything’s falling apart,” Lila whispered, more to herself than to Olivia.

“Then start with yourself,” Olivia replied. “Focus on finding your own balance again. Once you figure out what you want, the rest will come. You’ll know how to move forward.”

Lila nodded slowly, taking in Olivia’s advice. She wasn’t sure where it would lead, but maybe that was the point. Maybe she didn’t need to have all the answers right now. Maybe she needed to stop trying to control everything and just let things unfold.