WHAT REMAIN AFTER LOVE

CRACKS IN FOREVER

Episode 3

I had always believed that love could withstand anything, but lately, I felt a distance growing between us that I couldn’t ignore. Adrian had changed in subtle ways the hesitation in his smile, the quick glances at his phone, the way he sometimes seemed lost in thought when he should be here with me. I tried to convince myself it was nothing, that stress or work was to blame. But the unease in my chest refused to dissipate.

One evening, I came home early, hoping to surprise him, only to be greeted by a scent that wasn’t mine a delicate floral perfume lingering on his jacket. My heart thumped violently. I froze, unsure whether to confront him or flee. When he walked in moments later, that familiar smile of his didn’t reach his eyes.

“Elena” he began, but I stopped him. “Don’t.”

I held up his jacket, the scent of someone else clinging to it. “Who is she?” I whispered, trembling.

He flinched, guilt written across his face. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like this,” he admitted.

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “We promised honesty. You promised forever. And yet here I am, holding proof that you’ve broken both.”

That night, the warmth and passion we once shared felt like a distant memory. The cracks had appeared, and I feared they would only grow. Love, I realized, could be as fragile as glass beautiful, but easily shattered.