𝐁𝛐𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 | Nikolai Lantsov

11 | 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝛐𝐧𝐬

𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚

The sun filtered through the sheer curtains, spilling golden light across the plush bedding where Amora had spent the night, their bodies intertwined in a moment that felt both electric and serene.

She squirmed awake, the warmth of Nikolai's absence clinging to her like the afterglow of their passionate encounter. In her mind, memories flickered—soft lips, laughter, whispered secrets. Yet as she glanced around the unfamiliar room, finding it empty apart from the lingering scent of him. she felt a heavy weight settle in her chest.

After changing into a simple sundress that danced around her knees, she stepped into the vastness of Nikolai’s home, her heart quickening with each passing second. The sprawling place had a comforting elegance, but it felt eerily empty without him by her side. She ventured to his workroom—no Nikolai there. Then to the dining table—still no sign of him. A sense of foreboding crept over her as she guided herself to the main deck, her heart racing in tandem with her footsteps.

She hurriedly dressed, almost afraid to linger in a space that now felt foreign. Was last night a beautiful dream or had it spiraled into something darker? Unsure of what to do, Amora paced the room before deciding to search for him.

“Maybe he’s in his workroom,” she thought, optimism propelling her forward. She walked through the sunlit corridor, her heart pounding in rhythm with her uncertain thoughts. But when she peeked into Nikolai’s workspace, she found it empty. The shelves were lined with papers and sketches, remnants of his creative world, yet he was nowhere to be seen.

A sense of dread settled in her stomach as she made her way toward the main deck, the vibrant colors of the ocean in the distance beckoning her. The sun shimmered on the surface like a field of diamonds, but her heart felt heavy as she stepped outside.

There he was.

Nikolai sat at the edge of the deck, legs dangling over the side, staring at the horizon. His tousled hair glinted in the sunlight, and for a moment, Amora felt a surge of affection. She walked over quietly, feeling the embrace of the warm breeze against her skin. When she sat beside him, the silence wrapped around them like a thick fog.

But it was he who shattered the stillness. “Last night was a mistake.”

His words pierced through her like shards of ice. Amora froze, the warmth of last night slipping away. Confusion painted her features as she turned to him, searching his face for signs of remorse or longing. “What do you mean…?” she managed to stutter, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I should’ve stopped after the kiss,” he said, his tone cold and detached, as if he were speaking about a trivial matter rather than the shattering of a shared moment. “Or, before the kiss even…”

The weight of his words crashed over her, and she felt her heart splinter. Why did he sound so resolute? “Why?” she asked, a tremor in her voice as hurt laced each syllable.

Nikolai finally turned to her, his expression unreadable, and for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw something flicker beneath the surface—hesitation, regret, perhaps even longing. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He stood up abruptly, his back turned to her, and her heart shattered like glass falling to the floor.

“Wait!” Amora cried out, scrambling to her feet, but he walked away with a calculated slowness that felt agonizingly deliberate. Each step he took echoed in her chest, a cruel reminder of the divide that now separated them. She felt small—an afterthought in the grand tale they had woven in just one night.

The sun heated her cheeks, but it did little to warm her heart that now felt like a sunken ship beneath the tides of uncertainty. She desperately wanted to understand—how could a kiss that had ignited such fervor dissolve into a mistake overnight?

“Why can’t you just talk to me?” she whispered to the wind, though she knew he wouldn’t hear. The sea continued to roar, the sky remained unbothered, and she stood there, feeling lost among the echoes of what had been.

She watched him walking towards the cabin with resolute strides, his back a canvas of hurtful indifference.

Amora sat back down, her heart aching as she tried to grasp the sudden shift in their world. The waves rolled and crashed against the boat, the sound echoing her turmoil. How could a night filled with laughter, passion, and connection dissolve so completely into a solitary morning of rejection?

She felt tears prick her eyes and blinked hard against them. A part of her wanted to chase after him, to demand answers, to fight for understanding. But another part, the quieter part, whispered that it was pointless.

Instead, she lost herself in the ocean’s vastness, realizing she felt as adrift as the boat beneath her. Each wave, each gust of wind whispered secrets of love, loss, and resilience, and with each breath, Amora resolved to gather the pieces of her heart and confront the uncertainty that lay ahead.

As the sun climbed higher, glittering on the unknown waters, Amora knew she had a choice. She could drown in the pain of his words, or find strength in herself. And with that thought, she rose from her seat, steeling her resolve to face whatever was coming—because sometimes in life, the tides pulled away only to reveal new shores waiting to be discovered.

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