Forever mine

Episode Four – Unfinished Business

The sound of Paris traffic faded as Eliana sat at her drafting table, pretending to review sketches. But her mind wasn’t on chiffon or necklines — it was stuck, stubbornly, on Bryan.

Seeing him again had cracked open a door she’d tried to bolt shut years ago. And no matter how hard she pushed, memories kept slipping through.

Oxford. Second-year fashion exhibition. She’d been bent over a sewing machine, panic in her chest because the zipper of her showcase dress had just snapped. Then came his voice — warm, teasing.

“Need a hand, Mabel?”

Bryan had been in engineering, not fashion, but somehow he’d known exactly how to fix it. They’d ended up working side by side until dawn, laughing over terrible coffee and frayed thread. By morning, the dress was perfect. And so was the way he’d looked at her, like she was the only person in the room.

That was the start. The late-night library sessions, the stolen coffees between lectures, the endless debates about art versus science. Bryan made her feel invincible — like her dreams weren’t just dreams, but plans.

Until the night everything ended.

It was supposed to be a celebration — her first big internship offer. She’d rushed to meet him at the café near campus, the one with the tiny lights strung over the windows. But he hadn’t been alone.

Sitting across from him was a woman she’d never met, her hand resting on his wrist like she belonged there. And when Bryan saw Eliana standing in the doorway, something in his expression changed — not guilt exactly, but something close enough to make her stomach drop.

They’d argued in the street, words sharp and fast. She’d accused. He’d deflected. And somewhere between the accusations and the silence, whatever they’d built cracked in two.

Now, years later, Eliana pressed her fingers to her temples, forcing herself to breathe.

The past was the past. She was here for her career, nothing more.

And yet, when Bryan walked by her office a moment later, glancing in with that same unreadable look… she knew the past wasn’t finished with her. Not even close.