Hers to Love

Chapter 31

Maria sat at her desk, the soft glow of her computer screen casting shadows on the walls as she worked late into the night. She had buried herself in her cases these past few weeks, trying to keep her mind off the lingering pain Amir had left behind. But no matter how busy she kept herself, his memory always found a way to creep back in.

Just as she was about to call it a night, her phone buzzed on the desk, startling her. She glanced at the screen, expecting it to be a work email or a message from Chad, but her breath caught in her throat when she saw the name that appeared: Amir.

Her hands began to shake as she picked up the phone, her heart pounding in her chest. She stared at the message, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts at once. "Hey Maria. I know it's been a while, but can we talk?"

That was all it took—one message from him, and she was a mess. She felt the familiar ache in her chest, the same one she had been trying so hard to forget. How could he still have this effect on her? After everything that had happened, after the way he had hurt her, how could just one message from Amir undo all the walls she had built?

Maria took a shaky breath, her thumb hovering over the reply button. Part of her wanted to respond immediately, to find out what he had to say. But another part of her—the part that still felt raw and wounded—wanted to delete the message and pretend she never saw it.

"What does he want?" she thought, her mind swirling with uncertainty. "Is he just trying to clear his conscience? To tell me that it's too complicated, that we should move on?"

The thought made her heart sink even further. What if this was just Amir's way of closing the door on whatever they had shared? What if all he wanted was to apologize and move on with his life, leaving her to pick up the pieces once again?

Maria set her phone down on the desk, rubbing her temples as she tried to steady her breathing. She didn't know if she could handle hearing him say those words. It had taken her weeks to get to a place where she could function without breaking down, and now, with just one message, all those emotions were threatening to come rushing back.

But at the same time, she knew she couldn't ignore him forever. She couldn't avoid this conversation, no matter how much it scared her. She needed closure, even if it hurt.

After what felt like an eternity, Maria picked up her phone again. Her fingers trembled as she typed out a simple response: "What do you want to talk about, Amir?"

She stared at the words, her heart heavy with uncertainty. With a deep breath, she hit send, knowing that whatever happened next, she would have to face it head-on.