Marinate's eyes trembled as she looked at Vivian.
His gaze was calm, steady, too steady, as he said, "I know your feelings for me are genuine, but I can not return them."
The words hit her harder than she expected.
It felt like the air had grown heavy around her, pressing on her chest.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came at first.
She looked lost, as if she had just heard something she was never meant to hear.
Her fingers curled tightly around her dress as her voice finally broke through the silence.
"Viv… we haven't even spent much time together… we—" she stammered, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.
"If you wait, we could manage," she said softly, her tone shaking. "Maybe you'll see things differently… maybe you'll feel something too."
Vivian didn't move, didn't speak for a long moment.
The wind brushed past them, carrying away the words she had fought so hard to say, leaving behind only the silence between them, deep and unyielding.
