Chapter 67: Shattered Hope

The shop fell silent as Draven turned to face the voice, his expression hardening with restrained anger.

Standing at the doorway was Fabian — who had been staying with him for three months. He started working at 'Zinnia’s Heaven' too, only to be there for Draven.

His face reflected a mix of concern and frustration as he addressed Draven.

"It's been three months, Draven," Fabian said softly, his voice tinged with sorrow. "She is gone."

Draven's jaw clenched, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. "No, she is not," he replied hoarsely, his voice thick with emotion. "I refuse to believe that."

Fabian sighed heavily, his eyes searching Draven's face for any sign of acceptance. "Draven, clinging to this hope... it's tearing you apart," he urged, his tone tinged with desperation. "You need to face reality."

Draven shook his head vehemently, his gaze intense. "I can't just let go," he muttered, his voice raw with pain. "I can't accept that she's gone."

"Damn it, Draven!" Fabian's voice rose, frustration bubbling to the surface. "She is not coming back! You are torturing yourself with this fantasy."

Draven's fists tightened further, his knuckles turning white. "You don't understand," he snapped, his voice cracking with emotion. "You weren't there. You didn't see what I saw."

Fabian stepped closer, his own grief etched on his features. "I know you loved her and how much she meant to you," he said quietly, his voice tinged with sadness. "But this hope... it's holding you back from healing."

Draven turned away, his shoulders trembling with the weight of his sorrow. "I can't heal," he admitted hoarsely, his voice barely audible. "Not without her. And I don't even want to heal myself! Do you get that, Fabian?”

Silence filled the shop, heavy and suffocating.

The old man who had bought the flowers quietly made his way towards the exit, his presence now irrelevant to the intense exchange between Draven and Fabian.

Fabian sucked in a deep breath and sighed. "Look, Draven. I miss her too," he finally said, his voice softer now, filled with empathy. "But we have to find a way to honor her memory without destroying ourselves. We can’t turn back in time."

Draven remained silent, his back turned towards Fabian.

“No. Mysa is alive. She will come back to me. She has to fulfill her promise,” Draven declared firmly. “She can never break my star-promise.”

Fabian sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping with a mixture of sympathy and frustration. He understood Draven's grief, the overwhelming need to hold on to hope in the face of loss.

But he also knew the danger of clinging to a belief that defied all logic.

Silently, Fabian glanced around the shop, memories of Mysa flooding his mind. She had been more than just Draven's girlfriend; she had been a bright presence in all their lives.

Fabian had loved her too, in his own way, and the ache of her absence gnawed at his heart.

‘Mysa,’ Fabian thought inwardly, his gaze softening with memories. ‘I am doing everything I can to stay with your Draven. But take a look at your grumpy idiot. He is making it so hard. How long can I keep this up? If you are really out there, alive as per Draven, which is next to impossible, then come back soon, before your Draven becomes even more withdrawn than he already is. He might soon break past the point of recovery.’

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The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm orange glow across the quiet neighborhood where Flora and Nathan sat on the porch steps of their home. They moved in together finally.

It had been three months since everything changed, since that fateful day when their lives turned upside down in a matter of minutes.

Flora stared out into the distance, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the lines of the wooden steps, while Nathan sat beside her, his gaze fixed on the swaying branches of the oak tree in their front yard.

"It still feels unreal, doesn't it?" Flora finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Three months and it still feels like yesterday."

Nathan nodded slowly, his brow furrowed with a mix of sadness and disbelief. "I keep replaying it in my mind," he admitted quietly. "How quickly everything changed... how we lost her."

Nathan always saw Mysa as his sister, Mary, who too had the same fate as Mysa. The day he lost Mysa too, another sister, he didn’t know how to react.

Flora turned to Nathan, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Do you think she's still out there somewhere?" she asked hesitantly, her voice tinged with hope against all odds.

Flora started treating Mysa as her best friend after they sorted everything out. They really vibed together and got really close during her wedding season. She was even supposed to be Mysa’s bridesmaid.

Nathan sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "I want to believe she is," he replied softly. "But it's been long, Flora. No word, no sign..."

"But what if she's out there, Nathan?" Flora interrupted, her voice trembling with emotion. "What if she's lost, trying to find her way back to us?"

Nathan reached out, gently placing a hand on Flora's shoulder, offering what little comfort he could. "I miss her too," he murmured, his voice filled with longing. "But clinging to hope in this situation... it's hard."

Flora leaned into Nathan's touch, seeking solace in his presence. "Why is the Universe so cruel?”

“I don’t know, love. I really don’t know.”

They sat in silence for a while longer, the evening settling around them in a cocoon of memories and unspoken fears. The porch steps creaked softly beneath them, a comforting rhythm amidst the quietude of their shared contemplation.

"You know what? We will wait," Nathan said finally, breaking the silence with quiet determination. "For as long as it takes."

Flora nodded, her heart heavy yet hopeful. "For as long as it takes," she echoed softly, her gaze turning once more to the fading light on the horizon.

Together, they sat on the porch steps, holding onto each other and the fragile hope that somewhere out there, Mysa was alive and would find her way back to them.

In the quiet of the evening, Nathan spoke again, his voice tinged with sorrow. "I feel so bad for Draven," he admitted quietly, his gaze distant as he thought of their friend. "He is struggling so much."

Flora nodded in agreement, her thoughts mirroring Nathan's. "He loved her deeply," she said softly, her voice filled with empathy. "Draven is miserable now without her. I really, really hope that the Universe pulls some miracle and brings her back to us, at least for his sake."