Old wounds
1375 Words
The morning after the gala dawned gray and heavy, clouds pressing low over the city like a shroud. Amara sat at her kitchen table, a steaming cup of tea between her hands, though she hadn’t taken a sip. Sleep had been impossible; every time she closed her eyes, Ethan’s face appeared,the way he had looked at her during his speech, the way his hand had closed around her wrist to he waist when she tried to walk away.
She hated herself for remembering the warmth of his touch.
Her mother shuffled into the kitchen, wearing her threadbare robe, her silvering hair tied back in a bun. “You didn’t sleep,” she observed softly, pouring herself tea.
Amara forced a smile. “Too much work on my mind.”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “Work, or someone?”
Heat crept into Amara’s cheeks. “It doesn’t matter.”
Her mother studied her for a long moment, then simply said, “Be careful, Amara. Some people never change, no matter how much you hope they will.”
The warning settled heavily in Amara’s chest. She knew it was true. And yet, her heart betrayed her with every beat.
***
At the same time, Ethan sat in his office, a folder of contracts open before him. He hadn’t read a single word.
Daniel entered, placing a coffee on the desk. “You look like hell, sir. Was the gala that bad?”
Ethan gave a humorless laugh. “Depends on how you define bad.”
Daniel hesitated, then asked, “Is this about the woman you couldn’t stop staring at last night?”
Ethan stiffened. “You noticed?”
“Everyone noticed,” Daniel replied dryly. “Including the senator you ignored while you were burning holes into the press section.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. “Her name is Amara. We… knew each other. A long time ago.”
Daniel raised a brow. “Knew each other, or knew each other?”
Ethan shot him a glare, but his silence was answer enough.
“Ah,” Daniel said, understanding dawning. “So she’s not just anyone.”
“She’s not,” Ethan admitted. His voice dropped. “She’s the only one who ever saw me before I became… this.” He gestured vaguely at the skyscraper view, the empire he commanded.
Daniel studied him carefully. “And you threw her away.”
The words were blunt, but Ethan didn’t deny them. His silence was confession enough.
"Yes" Ethan said."No matter what i do no matter how much i try, I can never convince her that i am willing to change for her,that I would do anything just for her I love her so much."
"Daniel i wish she knew how I felt when I pulled her close to me,She is the reason i became rich to make her happy and to get married to her." Ethan said as tears rolled down his eyes.
"It's fine everything will be fine between you two ,Daniel convinced him as he poured a glass of wine to Ethan to make him calm down.He knew that when he was stressed he used to take a drink a lot he avoided to give him a lot of it.
***
Amara’s day at the publishing house was a blur. She tried to bury herself in work, editing manuscripts, answering calls, proofing articles. But her coworkers noticed her distraction.
During lunch, Miriam nudged her. “Okay, spill. You’ve been off since last night. Did someone say something to you?”
Amara hesitated, then whispered, “It was Ethan Blackwood.”
Miriam’s fork clattered onto her plate. “The Ethan Blackwood? As in the billionaire CEO, city’s most eligible bachelor, face on every magazine cover?”
Amara’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Yes. That one.”
Miriam’s eyes sparkled with intrigue. “And? What happened?”
Amara looked down. “He remembered me.”
Miriam leaned closer. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes,” Amara snapped, then softened her tone. “Because he’s the reason I stopped believing in promises.”
Miriam’s expression turned gentle. “Amara, you don’t owe him anything. Not your forgiveness. Not even your attention.”
Amara nodded, but deep down, her heart wasn’t listening. Her heart pumped fast as strong feelings ran through her body.She could feel her heart beating for Evan.
***
That evening, Ethan did something he hadn’t done in years. He drove himself through the crowded streets, abandoning the comfort of his chauffeur. His destination wasn’t a boardroom or a gala. It was the small neighborhood where Amara lived.
The Audi looked out of place among the narrow streets lined with tiny shops and aging apartment blocks. He parked discreetly and stepped out, his polished shoes clicking against the cracked pavement.
He didn’t know exactly what he expected to see her walking home? To stumble into her at the market again?
Instead, he found himself standing outside a modest publishing house with peeling paint and a faded sign. Through the glass, he saw her. Amara, bent over a desk, her brow furrowed in concentration as she scribbled notes.
For a moment, he just watched her, a lump forming in his throat. This was her world now quiet, hardworking, far removed from the glittering chaos of his own. And she looked… happy.
He almost turned away. Almost.
But then Amara looked up, her eyes meeting his through the glass. Her expression froze, shock flickering across her face before hardening into steel.
A second later, she stood and stormed out the front door.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice sharp enough to cut.
Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets, suddenly unsure of himself. “I wanted to see you.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
“Amara”
“No.” Her eyes blazed. “You don’t get to just walk back into my life because you feel like it. You made your choice years ago. You humiliated me, Ethan. Do you remember that? Do you remember telling me I wasn’t enough?”
The memory hit him like a physical blow. He swallowed hard. “I remember. And I regret it more than you can imagine,Am sorry Amara pleasee."He said .
Her laugh was bitter. “Regret doesn’t erase scars,I don't need your apologies, they mean absolutely nothing to me and if you are done talking you can leave."
“I know,” he said quietly. “But I want to try. I want to make it right,I am not leaving until you give me a chance to talk to you."
Amara shook her head, tears glimmering in her eyes though she fought them back. “You can’t. Some wounds don’t heal.”
"All you did was hurt me and humiliated me however you wanted."She said
She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him standing on the cracked pavement, more alone than he had ever felt in his life.
***
That night, Amara cried for the first time in years. She hated herself for it for letting him get under her skin, for letting old wounds reopen. But she couldn’t stop the tears. Because no matter how much she wanted to despise him, part of her heart still remembered the boy who once swore he’d love her forever.
And that was the cruelest wound of all.
***
Ethan returned to his penthouse, the city glittering beneath him like shards of broken glass. He poured himself a drink, but the whiskey burned bitter in his throat. He had faced ruthless competitors, hostile takeovers, media scandals but nothing had ever made him feel so powerless as the look in Amara’s eyes.
He had thought money could buy anything. But it couldn’t buy her forgiveness. " How will i convince you that I can't do without you,How Amara how,How will i tell you that my world revolves around you."He said to himself as tears rolled down his cheeks. He felt like his heart had been torned into small pieces.
And for the first time, Ethan wondered if the empire he had built was worth the cost of the only promise that had ever mattered.
- Writer
