Arietta stepped out of the bar, her eyes scanning the dimly lit street for any sign of Eli. It didn’t take long before she spotted him, hunched over on a bench just a few feet away, his shoulders slumped in defeat. His hands were buried in his hair, and even from a distance, she could feel the weight of his despair. As she drew closer, her gaze shifted for a brief moment, catching sight of a car pulling away from the curb. Inside, she saw Serena, with Lucas driving, both of them fading into the distance.
Her chest tightened at the sight, but she pushed the emotion down, knowing that now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. She focused on Eli instead, the man she once loved now utterly broken.
“Eli?” Arietta called softly, her voice barely audible over the hum of the city. He didn’t respond ri
