Once, my paranoid love

Paul’s anger surged once more as he confronted the girl who had dared to deceive him. His voice lashed out with a venomous accusation, “How dare you?”

The girl, now frightened and regretful, shrank back from his anger. Her attempts to provide solace had backfired, and she had pushed Paul further into the depths of his own torment.

“You won’t be able to make me forget about Elena,” Paul declared, his words filled with a fierce determination to hold onto his memories, no matter how painful they might be. With that, he snatched the wine bottle from the bar counter and, with an abrupt motion, pushed the girl to the floor.

She fell with a thud, her face contorted in a mixture of pain and humiliation. The bar’s patrons looked on in stunned silence, the atmosphere now heavy with tension.

As Paul stormed out of the pub, leaving behind the shattered remnants of his evening, his heart carried the weight of his unresolved grief and anger. He had sought solace in the arms of a stranger, but the wounds of betrayal still festered beneath the surface.

Outside the bar, the night air felt cool against his flushed skin. He paused for a moment, his eyes searching the darkness as if hoping to find some sign of Elena in the starry night.

“Elena, tonight is our night,” he whispered to the empty street.

Inside the bar, Nikita, with an intoxicated smile, made her entrance. Her eyes scanned the room with anticipation, but her smile faltered when she realized that Paul was no longer there.

“Paul!” she called out, her voice tinged with concern. Her arched brows spoke of her confusion as she tried to make sense of the sudden turn of events.

Nikita’s gaze landed on a young woman struggling to stand on her feet. Her eyes, bleary from the effects of alcohol, focused on the girl.

Nikita approached the girl, her concern evident in her demeanor. “Did you see a boy here?” she inquired, her voice laden with urgency. Her heart raced with the fear that something had gone terribly wrong.

The girl, holding her thigh in pain, recognized immediately who Nikita was asking about. She winced as she tried to regain her footing.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“That boy left,” the girl replied. Saying that, the bartender walked out of the room.

“He left?” she murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her face, once filled with anticipation, grew gloomy as disappointment washed over her.

She sank onto a nearby sofa, her eyes clouded with sadness. Her voice trembled as she spoke softly to herself, “I thought you would stay with me, but…” The unspoken words hung in the air, a lament for the unfulfilled expectations she had carried into the evening.

Tears welled up in Nikita’s eyes, her heart heavy with the weight of her dashed hopes. She had come here with the anticipation of finding Paul and rekindling something that had once been so important to her. But now it seemed as though that possibility had slipped through her fingers.

Just as quickly as the sorrow had washed over her, Nikita’s mood shifted. A mischievous smile slowly spread across her face as she wiped away her tears. “I know,” she whispered with newfound confidence, “you will hurt her.”

I lightly pushed the door, which was not locked. “Dad!” I called him.

“Elena!” Dad was shocked to see me. He was talking to someone.

I did not waste any time and said, “Dad, talk to Mr. Huston and tell him I accept his proposal.”

“Elena, why suddenly?” My dad’s face suddenly changed.

“I just thought I needed to marry him.” I said

“It’s not about you, darling; it’s about your life. You can’t marry someone you’ve never met before,” Dad said, expressing his dissatisfaction.

My heart raced as I stood before my father, his stern gaze piercing through my determination. I had never been one to make impulsive decisions, but this time, something had driven me to act without hesitation.

“Dad, sometimes we don’t recognize ourselves. They act as if they are unknown, so why don’t I choose an unknown?” With a smile on my face, I said it.

My father’s stern expression softened for a moment as he considered my words. He had always known me as the cautious, thoughtful Elena, and my sudden decision to embrace the unknown had taken him by surprise.

“Yes, Paul,” I thought to myself, the memories of our childhood friendship resurfacing. “Just love you. Now you’re a completely different person from me. Did you ever think about what you promised me when we were kids? Did you ever look back at me when you were with Nikita? When did you disrespect me?”

My mind raced with questions and doubts about the path I was choosing and about the promises I had made in the past. The weight of those memories clashed with the uncertainty of my future.

“It’s my life,” I stated firmly, my voice resolute. “So let me decide.”

“Elena!”

“Elena, wait,” my dad called my name.

**

He had called Elena’s name repeatedly, but she remained elusive, her absence like a shadow over his conscience.

“Oh, no!” Robert muttered, his voice filled with regret and frustration. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was responsible for Elena’s disappearance. His actions and choices had led them to this point-a moment of reckoning that he couldn’t escape.

He covered his face with his trembling hand, and his mind was flooded with memories of their time together. The weight of his words and neglect weighed heavily on him, a painful realization of how he had taken her for granted.

“Honey,” he whispered, the word heavy with the weight of his confession, “I’ve never been concerned about you.”

As he uttered those words, Robert was struck by the profound truth they held. He had allowed his own desires and distractions to take precedence over Elena’s needs and feelings.