As they ate, Ella tried to focus on the conversation. They talked about trivial matters—upcoming plans, silly anecdotes from their week, and their dreams for the future. But all the while, the unspoken truth loomed between them like an invisible wall, creating an ever-widening gap that Ella struggled to bridge.
“Do you ever think about the future?” Chase asked suddenly, his eyes searching hers. “Like, where we’ll be in five or ten years?”
Ella’s heart skipped a beat. “All the time,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “I think about it a lot.”
“What do you see?” he pressed, leaning closer as if the answer would bring them even closer together.
She hesitated, the weight of her secret pressing heavily on her heart. “I see us happy,” she managed, forcing a smile. “Just… living
