PART 3: The lobby that refused to forget
Security tried to drag Ethan away, but Isabella stepped forward and stopped them with one raised hand.
Her white dress glowed under the golden lights of the luxury hotel lobby. Guests stared. Whispers spread like wildfire.
Ethan stood there, breathing hard, sweat mixing with tears on his face. He looked nothing like the boy she remembered. He was heavier, exhausted, broken by life.
But his eyes were still the same.
Isabella’s voice trembled.
“Ethan… how are you alive? They told me you died in that accident. They showed me pictures… they said your body was never found.”
Ethan let out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a sob.
“They told me you forgot me. They said you moved on, got engaged to some rich guy, and wanted nothing to do with the poor boy from the orphanage.”
He opened the old suitcase again and pulled out the silver bracelet.
“You gave me this the night before they separated us. You said no matter what happened, we would find each other again.”
Isabella covered her mouth. Tears filled her eyes.
“I looked for you,” she whispered. “For years. My parents said it was better if I believed you were gone. They said you were holding me back.”
Ethan’s voice cracked.
“I was holding on to you. Every single day.”
A tall, well-dressed man stepped out of the elevator behind Isabella. He looked irritated.
“Isabella, what’s going on? We’re late for the engagement dinner.”
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Isabella didn’t even turn around.
She just kept staring at Ethan like the rest of the world had disappeared.
