The late afternoon sun cast a mellow amber hue over the sky as students trickled out of lecture halls, their chatter weaving through the breeze.
I adjusted my tote bag on my shoulder, exhausted from the weight of another academic day.
My eyes were set on home, a hot shower, and some silence.
Just then, Saraph caught up with me, breathless but grinning.
"Hey, how about a little detour?" she asked.
I raised a brow, amused. "A detour?"
"Yeah, just a small hangout. There's this new spot near the main junction, open rooftop, soft lights.
Thought we could grab something to eat, unwind a bit."
I hesitated. I hadn't been in the mood for social outings lately, not with everything swirling in my heart.
But Saraph's hopeful smile was hard to resist.
"Okay," I agreed softly. "But just for a bit."
We arrived just as dusk folded into night. The place was cozy, strung with warm fairy lights and low instrumental music floating through the air.
The scent of grilled chicken and vanilla wafted around us.
It wasn't crowded, just a few scattered guests and enough quiet for conversation.
We picked a table at the edge, facing the skyline.
Saraph chatted about mundane things, classes, a lecturer's weird obsession with Shakespeare, Jace's recent bad haircut, but I noticed she kept glancing at her phone.
"I'll be right back," Saraph suddenly said, getting up. "Restroom break.
Don't order anything without me."
I nodded, watching my friend disappear inside.
A few minutes passed. Then
"Nuella."
The voice startled me. Familiar, deep, a little uncertain.
I turned, eyes widening as Daniel approached slowly. He looked different, nervous, a little lost in his neatly pressed shirt and jeans.
His fingers clutched a small envelope.
I blinked. "Daniel? What are you doing here?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Can I sit?"
My instincts told me to walk away.
My heart didn't know what to do. But my body remained still. Wordlessly, I nodded.
As he sat, I glanced around. Saraph was gone deliberately.
"You set me up," I whispered under my breath. "Saraph…"
Daniel caught it. "She just… gave me a chance to try. I didn't want to ambush you.
But she said you deserved answers, not letters. Real ones."
I folded my arms, eyes steady on him. "Then talk. But be honest, Daniel."
He nodded.
"I know I hurt you. There's no excuse.
I should've told you I was in a relationship when I met you.
That truth… I kept it from you because I was scared of losing what we had.
But keeping it from you was even worse. It broke us."
I didn't speak, just listened to every word, stinging, but also necessary.
"I didn't plan to fall for you," he continued.
"But I did. Fast. Too fast, maybe.
And at first God, I hate saying this, but my friends joked that I wouldn't stand a chance with you.
That you were too… focused, too smart, too out of reach.
And like the idiot I was, I told them I'd get your attention."
I blinked slowly. "So I was a bet?"
"No," Daniel said quickly, leaning forward. "It wasn't like that.
It started as a stupid challenge, but that's not why I stayed.
That's not why I loved you."
"But you let them think you were proving a point," I said, my voice suddenly cold.
"You pursued me, let me open my heart, made me trust you, while something that trivial was in your head."
"I know," he whispered. "And I'm sorry. I was immature.
I should've shut it down. But I never touched your life with a game in mind.
Nuella, you were never a joke to me."
I swallowed hard, my emotions clashing with hurt, betrayal, but also the soft tug of old love.
He placed the envelope on the table between us.
"I wrote everything. The full truth. Even the parts I couldn't say out loud.
If you never want to speak to me again after this, I'll walk away. But I needed to say it.
In person."
I stared at the envelope but didn't touch it.
"I don't hate you," I said quietly.
Daniel's shoulders sank, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
"I've forgiven you, Daniel."
He opened his mouth, but I raised a hand.
"But when it comes to second chances," I added gently, "I need time.
You don't get to waltz back in and undo the hurt overnight. I've changed. I've grown.
I'm not the girl who fell for you without knowing the full story. So please… respect that."
He nodded solemnly. "I will.
Thank you. For even letting me speak."
I rose, sliding the envelope into my bag. "Take care of yourself, Daniel."
As I turned to leave, he didn't follow. He just sat there, quietly watching me go, clutching the chair's edge like it was the last piece of a shipwreck.
And outside the door, leaning on the railing, Saraph waited.
"You okay?" she asked as I stepped into the cool night air.
I nodded, my voice barely above a whisper. "He's finally being honest. But honesty doesn't always fix everything."
Saraph slipped her arm around my shoulder. "No. But sometimes, it's where healing begins."
And under the stars, with my heart still bruised but slowly unfreezing, I allowed myself to breathe again deeply, fully, freely.
Of course. Here's a deeply emotional and mature continuation of the scene, exploring Nuella's reaction to Saraph's setup, the weight of betrayal, and the fragile state of forgiveness and fear:
Title: Threads of Trust
The wind had picked up as we stepped out of the rooftop lounge, carrying with it the soft hum of music and the whispers of the night.
The city lights below blinked like stars fallen to earth, but I felt none of the beauty.
My mind was racing, my chest tight with emotion.
I stopped walking and turned sharply to Saraph, eyes filled with a quiet storm.
"But Saraph…" I began, my voice low but edged with tension.
"Why would you set me up like that? You should have told me."
Saraph's steps faltered. She looked at me, guilt already painting her features.
"Nuella, I'm sorry. I should have, but I didn't want you to say no before he even had the chance to speak."
"That's not your choice to make," I whispered, shaking my head slowly.
"You know how much I've been trying to hold myself together. After everything…"
Saraph took a deep breath, stepping closer.
"He called, He's been calling, begging, and not just for you to talk to him, he wanted to explain things properly, honestly.
And I saw him… the way he's been these days. He's not okay. He's broken.
And all he keeps saying is that he wants to make things right with you."
"That doesn't excuse tricking me."
"I know," Saraph said softly. "I just… I thought maybe, just maybe, if you saw him, you'd understand how much he regrets everything."
I closed my eyes for a long moment, drawing in a shaky breath. Then my words came out quietly:
"Do you know what I heard from him tonight? That he made a bet with his friends to get my attention because they told him he couldn't."
Saraph's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait… what? Are you serious?"
I nodded slowly, the pain fresh in my voice.
"That's how it started. I was a dare. A bet. Just another challenge."
Saraph stepped back as if the words physically pushed her. "No…, I had no idea."
"I've forgiven him," I said after a pause, voice heavy.
"But when it comes to a second chance… I'm confused. And scared."
Saraph stayed silent, watching me.
"I keep asking myself what if he's still with Mira?
What if I open my heart again just to be torn apart all over?"
Saraph reached for my hand. "That's fair. You have every right to feel that way.
I never meant to make you carry all this alone."
I looked at the ground, my voice small. "How do I trust him again, Saraph? How do I believe anything he says after all the silence… and secrets?"
"Maybe you don't," Saraph said gently. "Not right away.
Maybe trust isn't something you give again; it's something he has to rebuild, brick by brick.
And maybe you just… take it one step at a time."
I sighed deeply. My heart ached not just from what I'd discovered, but from the war inside me.
Part of me still loved him. That part remembered late-night walks, his goofy laugh, the way he would hold my hand like it was something precious.
But the other part, the one that had been shattered, wasn't sure it could risk being broken again.
"I want to believe he's changed," I said. "But I also believed in him before. I believed we were forever."
"Then believe in yourself now," Saraph replied.
"You don't owe anyone anything, not even love. You only owe yourself the chance to heal fully, whether or not that includes him."
Nuella gave a small nod. The tears she had held back slipped free at last, silent and warm on her cheeks.
Saraph pulled me into a gentle hug. "Whatever you choose, I'll be here.
If you decide to give him another chance… or if you decide to walk away for good.
You're not alone."
I wrapped my arms around Saraph tightly. "Thank you."
And as we stood together beneath the quiet sky, I realized something: forgiveness was a beginning, not an ending.