Five years had passed since Lily’s heart had shattered into a thousand pieces. The love she had shared with Alger had been the kind that she had once believed would last forever. But forever was a fragile thing, and theirs had ended in betrayal, a cruel twist of fate that left her broken and alone.
Lily had spent the years since trying to forget him, trying to erase the memory of the man she had once loved with all of her heart. She built a life for herself, one where Alger’s name no longer haunted her every thought. She found peace in the simple things—a quiet apartment, a steady job, and friendships that had helped her heal. She had convinced herself that she could move on, that the past would remain where it belonged—behind her.
But life, it seemed, had a cruel sense of humor. Fate had other plans.
Lily never imagined she would cross paths with Alger again. The man who had once been her everything, who had promised her a future, now felt like a ghost from the past. But fate, it seemed, had its own design. She found herself thrust back into his life, not as a lover, but as a pawn in a game she hadn’t chosen to play.
Alger’s parents had made the decision for her. They had selected Lily to be the woman who would marry their son, believing that she was the only one who could thaw his cold, unforgiving heart. Alger, the man who had once loved her with a passion that burned brighter than the sun, was now a stranger—an ice-cold man, hardened by years of resentment and bitterness. He was no longer the person she remembered; he was someone else entirely.
Lily’s heart ached at the thought of him, at the way he had turned away from her without so much as an explanation. Their love had been real, at least to her, and she had never understood why he had left her the way he did. The pain of those memories had never truly left her, and now they resurfaced with a vengeance.
But Lily wasn’t the same woman she had been five years ago. She had learned to be strong, to survive without him, and to never let anyone have the power to hurt her again. She had built walls around her heart, walls that kept the pain out, but also kept love from getting in.
And yet, as soon as she laid eyes on him again, those walls began to crumble. The years had changed him, but in some ways, he was still the same—just as broken, just as haunted by the past. There was something in his eyes that made her want to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for them. But she had learned the hard way that love was not always enough.
Alger, on the other hand, had never planned to see Lily again. His feelings for her had been replaced by anger and resentment. The love he had once felt had turned into something darker, something that drove him to accept the arranged marriage, not out of love, but out of a desire for revenge. He wanted to make her pay for what she had done to him, for the way she had left him, for the heartbreak that had nearly destroyed him.
The pain of the past had never truly gone away. He had buried it deep inside, but now, with Lily back in his life, it resurfaced with all its force. He didn’t know if he could ever forgive her, but he was determined to make her feel the same hurt he had. His plan was simple: to pull her back into his life, to make her remember the pain she had caused him, to make her regret ever walking away.
But as the days passed, Alger began to realize something he hadn’t expected. Lily was no longer the same woman he had once known. She was strong, independent, and unafraid to stand her ground. The woman he had once loved was gone, replaced by a woman who had learned to live without him. And though he still felt the sting of betrayal, he couldn’t deny the undeniable pull he still felt toward her.
The more he tried to push her away, the more he realized that he couldn’t. The love they had shared, the bond they had once had, was not easily erased. It was still there, buried beneath the anger and resentment, still alive, still burning. But Alger didn’t know how to handle it. He didn’t know if he could ever trust her again, if he could ever let go of the pain of the past and allow himself to love her again.
For Lily, the struggle was just as difficult. She had spent years convincing herself that she was better off without Alger, that she could never trust him again. But now, with him back in her life, she couldn’t help but wonder what might have been. Could they find their way back to each other? Could they rebuild the love they had lost?
But as the days wore on, the tension between them only grew. Alger’s cruelty and distance pushed her away, and yet, she couldn’t deny the feelings that still lingered in her heart. Every time their eyes met, every time he spoke to her with that coldness, she felt the old wounds open again. She couldn’t escape the pull of the past, even though it hurt more than she was willing to admit.
And then, as if the universe wasn’t done playing its cruel game, Lily found herself questioning everything. She was trapped in a marriage that wasn’t her choice, bound to a man who was still consumed by anger and hatred. But deep inside, she knew that she had to decide what to do next. Would she fight for love, for the chance to heal, or would she walk away from the man who had once been her everything?
The truth was never meant to come to light. The love they had shared was never meant to be torn apart. But now, with the weight of the past between them, they had no choice but to face it. The question was no longer whether they could love each other again—it was whether they could survive the journey of healing, of forgiveness, and of letting go of the pain they had both carried for so long.
In the end, they would have to decide: would they continue the cycle of hurt, or would they find a way to heal the wounds that had kept them apart for so long?