Chapter 1 Shadows of the Past

The rain drummed softly against the window of my apartment as I stared at its reflection on the glass. The city lights shimmered, blurred by the droplets sliding down, as if the world outside were an unfinished watercolor painting. I held a wine glass by the stem, swirling the ruby liquid out of habit. Not that I was savoring the wine - it had been a long time since anything had tasted like anything to me.

I shouldn't have been thinking about the past. The past was buried. Or at least it should have been. But even now, with a life that could be considered successful by any standard, those memories insisted on haunting me.

The insistent ringing of my phone broke me out of my reverie. I walked over to the table and picked up the device, seeing my mother's name on the screen. I let out a deep sigh before answering.

"Are you listening?" Her voice was firm, carrying that tone of authority she always had. "I need you to come home."

I hadn't expected that. It had been years since my presence was requested in my hometown. Since leaving, I had promised myself I would never go back. But my mother wasn't the kind of person who easily accepted "no" for an answer.

"Why?" I asked, trying to sound uninterested.

"Your sister is getting married. And you know how important this is for the family. You have to be here."

My throat tightened. Lyara's wedding. Of course. Another grand event where she would be the center of attention, while I remained in the shadows, as always. But something in my mother's tone left no room for refusal.

"Fine," I replied, even though every fiber of my being screamed against it. "I'll make arrangements to come."

When the call ended, I let out a long sigh. The thought of returning to that place made me nauseous, but at the same time, some part of me knew it was inevitable. No one truly escapes their past.

The night dragged on as I tried to steer my thoughts elsewhere. The silence of the apartment offered little comfort. The sound of the rain continued to fill the space, but it couldn't drown out the restlessness growing inside me. I got up, walked to the kitchen, and washed the wine glass, trying to occupy my hands and mind with any trivial task.

The reflection of the city lights accompanied me. Life here had been a successful escape, at least on the surface. I made friends, built a career, reinvented myself. But there was still a part of me tethered to the roots I had worked so hard to forget. My mother's call was a reminder that those ties still existed, no matter how much I pretended they didn't.

Celine called later that night. Her voice was an anchor in the storm of my thoughts.

"So? Are you going back?" she asked, direct as always.

"Looks like I don't have a choice," I replied, trying to mask my discomfort. "My mother practically ordered me. Lyara's getting married."

"Lyara... Of course," she said, and the understanding in her voice irritated me a little. Celine knew enough about my past to understand the weight of this.

"I'll try to make it quick. I'll get there, attend the wedding, and leave. No getting too involved."

"Good luck with that. You know they'll try to pull you back in."

"They won't," I said firmly, more to convince myself than her. I needed to believe I was strong enough to resist.

Talking to her eased the tension for a few minutes, but not for long. The truth was that no matter how many walls I had built, they seemed fragile at the prospect of going back.

I lay in bed, but sleep didn't come easily. I stared at the ceiling, the distant sound of cars passing on the street below echoing in my ears. Each thought dragged me back to memories I was trying to bury. The betrayals, the humiliations, the constant feeling of being less. Everything felt as vivid as it had been back then. I turned over, trying to push those images away. I needed rest, but the idea of returning to that town carried a weight I didn't know how to bear.

The most unsettling memory of all was Adrian. It was almost laughable how I used to believe he would be my future. Everything had seemed so right back then, as if we were destined to be together. Until we weren't. Not because we didn't want to be, but because I was never enough for him. Or maybe because he was never enough for me. It was hard to say now. All that remained were the fragments of what could have been.

I got up again, unable to stay still. I went to the living room and turned on the TV, letting the sound fill the empty space. I didn't pay attention to what was playing, but it was better than silence. I grabbed my laptop and started working on a project I had been putting off, something to occupy my mind. I lost track of time, and when I looked at the clock, it was already past three in the morning. At least the exhaustion finally caught up with me.

I lay down again, this time determined to sleep. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sound of the rain and accumulated fatigue envelop me. I couldn't avoid what was coming, but for now, I could enjoy the brief relief of sleep. The future could wait a little longer.