“Why, disappointed to see me too? And why do you live in such a small apartment?” Keira commented as she looked around the studio apartment Lana was staying at. She sat down at Lana’s small couch while watching Lana prepare a coffee for her.

“How did you find me?” Lana asked. She thought no one would ever be able to locate her, not so early at least, she even changed her name in all her doc.u.ments including her passport before leaving the country. If not forever, she hoped they all would not be able to locate her for a few years in the least… but this Keira!

Keira rolled her eyes and said, “Why are you asking the obvious? I already found you long ago but let someone check on you instead of anyone approaching you and forcing you to come back. You see… I fully understand how you think and I know you wanted some time alone back then…”

“But you are here…” Lana whispered.

Keira’s eyes rounded as she exclaimed, “Helloooooo… It’s been one whole year already Lana. It’s time for you to wake up now! Do you think your mother would be happy to see you like this? Punishing yourself for something you didn’t do, for living how she never could have let you live, such a desolate and lonely life? Her sacrifice will be in vain if you still don’t wake up from your nightmare.”

Lana put the coffee on the table and sat beside Keira. She felt the warmth of Keira’s hand grip her and urged her to face her.

“You have to come back with me before it’s too late…” Keira stated, her face clouded with seriousness.

Lana’s eyebrows furrowed. She looked confused.

“Liam will soon be engaged and will get married…” Keira declared.

“What?!” Lana burst.

“You heard me right… Liam will be engaged to another woman very soon!”

‘Liam…’ Lana’s heart trembled hearing that name and she closed her eyes to keep her emotions from showing to Keira.

She knew why… exactly why he was doing that! Last year she left him with just a letter on his name… and a divorce paper with her signature setting him free…

Why did she leave him?

She kept having flashbacks of her mother, wounded, soaked in blood and crying with pain, whenever she looked at Liam ever since her mother died in that accident. It was too much for her to handle because she was broken and emotionally unstable and weak.

She tried very hard to work on it but she couldn’t get rid of her trauma. She wanted to be left alone, to lick her wounds and heal them in private. She needed to be alone in a place where no one knew her and she did not know anyone as well.

So she decided and left everything behind her one fine day… abandoning her love, abandoning her life… she just walked out…

She knew she would be called names on the way she did things. People would call her weak for running away and hiding somewhere and she would not deny that fact.

Yes, she ran away because she was weak, she felt she did not deserve good people around her. She was not even able to take care of their child, how could she deserve to have a happy and a normal life with him.

She was prepared to face the consequences of her actions, she was prepared for Liam to have another woman in his life. So why now did she feel a pain in her heart? Why was she feeling broken and hurt? Why did it feel like he ditched her?

She was puzzled and tried to sort out her emotions and give herself a reason to question him… she found none. But still, she wanted to ask him… was one year enough to erase the love that he had for her in his heart?

Was one mistake enough to make him hate her so much that he wanted to marry another woman? What a liar he had been when he vowed his love for her!!! Was his love so weak that he forgot her in such a short span of time?

Keira lifted her brows while seeing the changing expressions of her dear friend Lana. She shook her head seeing colours come and go on Lana’s face. Just like what she thought, Lana was killing herself with guilt, blaming herself every day for everything that happened on that fateful day.

She never even tried to give herself a benefit of doubt and release herself from the agony and pain, that too when she did not do anything wrong and was a victim of her psycho father.

“What? Feeling wronged? Ditched? Did you expect him to wait for you forever? Do you now think a whole year is not long enough time to forget you and marry someone else, huh? Lana, what were you thinking?

You disappeared suddenly one day leaving the man with a set of divorce papers with your seal and signature and all you did to inform him was to just leave a letter for him…? He must have been broken by your attitude Lana and probably hates you or is still cursing at you right now.” Keira barked.

Lana was not able to respond and stayed silent even after hearing Keira’s frustration over her decision. She had mixed emotions at that moment. She stared in one direction, absentmindedly.

“If you still wouldn’t come back with me willingly then even if I have to… I will drag you out of this country and take you home with me, Lana. You have already wasted so many months, so many days of your life in a nonsense seclusion. If you act stubborn again and won’t come back with me then I will have to stay here with you forever.” Keira childishly mumbled.

Lana with a faint smile said, “I missed you.”

“We hate you!” Keira snarled. Lana looked at Keira with a helpless smile and then suddenly hugged her tightly.

“I know… Everyone hates me…” Lana whispered in a low tone.

Keira gently pushed Lana to look at her intently and said, “No one hates you ! We understand you well and know you are like this ever since we were young, but not everyone may understand your ways of healing your heart.

You have to, one day, learn to get out of that box and live a happy life. Don’t be stoic… Let someone who cares for you be with you in your struggle.”

Lana had experienced a heavy trauma in her life and Keira truly understood her. Right now her mind was filled with him and was very concerned about Liam. She knew Lana still loved Liam wholeheartedly so she must play her part encouraging Lana to go back and find her happiness back.

“I heard Liam’s engagement is an arranged one for business partnership. You can still win him back if you want to. You can still make amends and I’m sure Liam will still forgive and accept you. You just need to woo him back this time before they proceed with the engagement ceremony.” Keira informed, hoping Lana would finally wake up this time.

“But I… I deeply hurt him…” Lana whispered.

“Yes, you did. And you’re also the only one who can heal him. Or do you enjoy watching another woman doing it?” Keira replied quickly.

Lana gulped, balancing herself out. If she would still have a second chance of love, she would work on it for Liam. She knew that she had gone for too long already.

“Just follow your heart, Lana. Your mother will be very disappointed if you will let another woman have the man she saved just for you to be with. Someone she wanted you to have a happy life with..” Keira straightforwardly said.