Prologue
The music was soft.
Too soft for a day that was supposed to mean forever.
Amara stood beneath the glow of golden lights, watching Mira walk down the aisle with a smile that looked real, effortless, untouched by doubt. The kind of smile Amara used to believe in.
Around her, everything felt warm.
Laughter. Applause. Love.
It should’ve felt like home.
But something in her chest refused to settle.
She glanced beside her.
Adrian stood there, exactly where he was supposed to be. Close enough that she could feel his presence, his warmth close enough that anyone looking would think nothing had changed.
But he wasn’t looking at her.
Not really.
His eyes were on the ceremony, his expression calm, controlled… unreadable.
And for the first time, Amara noticed the silence between them.
Not the comfortable kind.
The kind that grows quietly, unnoticed until it becomes too loud to ignore.
Her fingers curled slightly into the fabric of her dress.
There was a time when his hand would’ve found hers without thinking.
When even silence felt like connection.
Now, it felt like distance.
Like standing beside someone who loved her…
but didn’t see her anymore.
The vows echoed through the air.
“In love, in trust, in forever…”
Amara swallowed.
Forever.
The word felt heavier than it should.
Because somewhere deep inside, a quiet, terrifying thought began to take shape;
What if forever wasn’t something you kept?
What if it was something you slowly lost?
Her gaze drifted back to Adrian.
For a second... just a second... she waited for him to look at her.
He didn’t.
And something in her chest cracked… so softly, no one else could hear it.
