The Immortal Love

Chloe's POV.

I had stopped crying over breakups a long time ago.

The café smelled like burnt coffee, and the man sitting across from me was just another name I would forget. He was talking... saying something about timing, how he wasn't ready, how it wasn't me, it was him. I stirred my drink, watching the foam swirl in slow, meaningless circles. Same words, from different mouth.

"I get it," I said, my voice calm and detached as I cut him off mid-excuse. Like I was reading the last line of a book I already knew the ending to.

He hesitated, his brows drawing together. Maybe he had expected tears, or anger. But he got neither.

"You're not upset?" he asked, like he actually cared. I let out a soft laugh... more breath than sound, and shook my head.

"I stopped believing in love a long time ago."

He blinked, then opened his mouth and closed it again. But I didn't wait for whatever half-hearted response he was about to give. I grabbed my bag, pushed my chair back, and stood. And just like that, it was over.

Outside, the cold air hit my skin, sharp and sobering. The city moved around me;cars honking, people laughing, life going on as if nothing had just shattered. But nothing had shattered. Not this time.

I pulled out my phone, scrolled through old messages, and deleted them all. Every last one. No more love. No more hoping. And no more waiting for someone to choose me. Love was a fantasy. And I was done pretending it was real.

* * *

I walked away without looking back, keeping my expression neutral. It was just another breakup. Nothing new. Nothing unexpected.

At least, that was what I told myself. The dull ache in my chest said otherwise. I adjusted the strap of my bag and inhaled deeply, forcing my mind onto something else... just anything else. I had class soon.

Being a final-year university student meant I didn't have time to dwell on things that didn't matter. I took the usual shortcut through the alley, my footsteps echoing against the quiet walls. Then... my foot caught on something small and solid. A faint glint caught my eye instantly. I glanced down.

A pendant. It shouldn't have felt important, yet something about it called to me. I barely noticed the pendant at first. It lay half-buried in the cracks of the pavement. But something about it pulled at me, like an invisible force deep in my chest, like a whisper calling my name. I hesitated, then stepped forward.

The moment my hand touched it, the air around me shifted. A sharp, twisting force gripped me, pulling me downward, and distorted my vision. Then, before I could react, the ground disappeared beneath me, and I fell through it. Cold air rushed past me, swallowing my scream. My stomach twisted... then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.

I landed hard on solid ground, gasping. My hands pressed against smooth stone, the scent of damp air and something like old parchment and dust filling my lungs. My heart pounded as I pushed myself up and took in my surroundings. Flickering torches lined an underground hall, their flames casting restless shadows on the walls. The space hummed with something ancient, and powerful.

And then... I saw him.

A man. Or at least, he looked like one. Tall, draped in black, his presence commanding the space like a whisper in the dark. He wore a mask that covered his face, its sharp edges glinting in the firelight.

"You shouldn't be here," he said in a cold whisper. I should have been afraid. Every instinct screamed at me to run. But I wasn't. Because something about him... about this place... felt strangely familiar.

"You need to leave," he said again, his voice was cold and unyielding. His words lingered in the air like a warning. I swallowed hard, my heart beating so fast.

I opened my mouth to speak, to ask what this place was, why I was here... but he didn't give me the chance.

Instead, he moved closer, closing the space between us in an instant. The air turned ice-cold, his presence swallowing every breath in my lungs. My fingers clenched at my sides, my gaze locked onto the mask, to the shadowed eyes behind it. His head tilted slightly.

"That pendant… It reached out to you," his voice dipped lower, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

"Why?" I asked, lifting my gaze back to him.

"What is this place?"

"Somewhere you do not belong." He took another step closer. The air between us chilled, my breath caught as his gloved hand reached out to me.

"Leave!" His final word vibrated through me. Before I could react, his hand pressed against my chest... firm, yet almost careful.

Then a single push, and the world tilted. A rush of cold engulfed me, and the ground beneath my feet vanished. Before I could gasp, I was falling.

And then... I was back.

The alley was silent, the pavement solid beneath me. My chest rose and fell with unsteady breaths as I turned in frantic circles. No torches, no underground chamber. No masked man either. But the ghost of his touch lingered against my skin.

What had just happened?

I gripped my arms, trying to steady myself. It had felt real. Too real. But it couldn't have been. My gaze dropped to my hand. The pendant was still there.

I stared down at the pendant still clutched in my hand. The metal was warm, thrumming softly against my palm. Something about it felt... familiar, though I had never seen it before. My heart was still pounding. But if it had been just a dream, then why did I still have this?

I pressed the pendant between my fingers, its warm surface grounding me as I walked. I didn't want to think twice about what had just happened. It wasn't the first time I had felt something unreal, something that pulled me toward a world that shouldn't exist. I had always been drawn to things beyond explanation, glimpses of shadows that vanished when I turned, whispers in empty rooms.

But this... this had been different. The pendant was real. Solid and tangible.

Still, I wouldn't let my mind wander. Not now. I tucked the pendant safely into my pocket, acting as if it was nothing more than a trinket, and raised a hand to hail a cab.

Minutes later, as I settled into the worn leather seat, my gaze drifted to the window. My reflection stared back, slightly warped by the glass and the blur of the city lights outside. I tried to focus on the world outside, but my own face held my attention instead. My dark eyes seemed deeper, almost hollow, shadows clinging to the edges. My lips pressed into a thin line, as if holding back thoughts I didn't want to entertain. A strand of hair fell loose, and I pushed it behind my ear, but the motion felt absentminded.

I looked... fine. Not breathtaking, not forgettable. Just fine. High cheekbones, a soft jawline... not delicate, not striking. A face that people might notice for a second before looking away. They said I looked like my father. A man I had never seen. A stranger whose face lingered in me.

And yet, for some reason, love had never settled in my life. Maybe it was me. Or perhaps it was this face, these eyes.

Even though I knew that wasn't true, my mind always seemed to find its way back to the thought.

As soon as I arrived at school, I realized my day had been wasted;lectures were canceled. With a sigh, I decided to head to the supermarket. My fridge was practically empty, and since I lived alone now, there was no one to fill it but me.

I took my time browsing the aisles, letting the routine of shopping distract me. The breakup still lingered at the back of my mind, but at least here, surrounded by shelves of neatly arranged goods and the soft hum of background music, I didn't have to think too much. Eventually, with my cart full, I headed to the checkout, paid my bills, and stepped outside.

The supermarket wasn't far from my apartment, but carrying all these bags on foot wasn't an option. I moved to hail a taxi when, out of nowhere, the sky darkened. Within seconds, rain poured down in thick sheets.

I frowned. It wasn't supposed to rain today. The weather had been clear all morning.

Then, a memory drifted to the surface... an old fairytale. Something about unexpected rain at noon being the tears of mythical beings. A foolish thought, but it lingered, making me shiver despite the humidity.

I rushed back inside to grab an umbrella, but the last one had just been sold. Great!

Stepping back to the supermarket entrance, I watched the rain, contemplating my next move. It didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. My apartment wasn't far, but running through this downpour with my bags sounded like a miserable idea.

Just as I sighed in frustration, I sensed someone near me...

* * *