After the storm

6. Second chance? (William)

" You cannot leave me again, Solnishko"

Caught in a whirlwind of feelings, torn between sorrow and determination. Speaking in a way I never dared before, her shock mirrored in her eyes, stabbing my heart with regret. But I couldn't bear the thought of losing her, especially now that I could finally chase after her. My resolve was unyielding, fueled by a desperate longing to keep her close, even if it meant sacrificing everything, even if it meant watching the world crumble around me.

Growing up in wealth seemed like a dream, but it was a nightmare veiled in luxury. Love, and trust, are all traded for gold. Relationships were masks, hiding the emptiness inside, while greed devoured even the strongest bonds of family.

My parents, once beacons of love, were shattered by betrayal. Greed stole my father, leaving an abyss in our lives. The night my mother needed him most, he was snatched away, leaving her to bring my sister into the world alone, his life slipping away amidst deceit. And even my uncle, falsely accused, torn from us, leaving us adrift in a sea of lies.

My older brother Noah was forced to take over the business, a role too heavy for his young shoulders, when he was just a teen. To make it more gruesome, on a fine morning, I found myself entangled in the webs of our enemies, kidnapped in a house that belonged to my mom. Walton family was granted to be doomed by the ones that I once recognized as the maternal family.

Yet, beneath our resilience, lay deep wounds of betrayal, festering and poisoning our souls, igniting a consuming hatred for the world that had devoured us.

In the darkness, she emerged as a beacon of hope, casting aside shadows threatening to consume me. She became my refuge, my reason to cling to hope amidst the despair. She was a healing balm to my tortured soul, a light guiding me through the darkest of nights. In a world devoid of trust and genuine affection, she was my salvation, my Solnishko, illuminating my path in a tragic tale of love and loss.

My love for her grew slowly but intensely over the years since I met her. I loved her deeply for so long, yet the fear of past wounds repeating themselves caused me to lose her the first time. The William Walton who feared nothing was terrified to admit that Inaya, the girl in the plain hijab, meant the world to him. But before I could conquer that fear, she became Abraham's wife.
"That day, I grasped a painful truth: betrayals hurt, but losing your love hurts infinitely more. My life felt emptier, lonelier than ever. I threw myself into work, striving to conquer the business world, pushing myself to achieve the unachievable. Yet, nothing brought me the satisfaction of witnessing her happiness.

In my moments of weakness, I looked up to her, followed her beliefs, and found myself embracing a new religion, a new way of living. But true peace eluded me, except when I thought of her. Even if I couldn’t be near her or touch her, all I desired was to see her from afar. I longed to see her smile, even if it was directed at someone else; to see love in her eyes, even if it was for Abraham.

Though I wasn’t the happiest man, I found solace in seeing her once a week or once a month. I knew I was hopelessly in love. William Walton, desired by the world, had fallen for a woman he could never have.

But fate, with its cruel sense of irony, played another card. Just when I had adjusted myself to this distant admiration, Abraham did the unthinkable. Inaya, with her crumbled love, spent sleepless nights . Watching her suffering, my heart broke all over again, torn between the desire to comfort her and the bitter reminder of my own unfulfilled love.

Yet, it was in the darkest hour that a glimmer of hope appeared. I was given a chance, but it came wrapped in the shroud of tragedy.

Fate had granted me a second chance, a chance to win her heart amidst the twists and turns of life's cruel dance. Only a fool would let such an opportunity slip away. And William Walton is anything but a fool.