stellconstance
Danikka Marceline Villaluz spent years convincing herself that first loves were meant to be forgotten.
But no matter how much time passed, no one ever replaced the quiet teenage boy who disappeared from her life without a goodbye.
Irus Lorenzo Alfelor was seventeen when she first loved him.
Too old for her.
Too distant to understand.
And somehow still the only person who ever made her feel seen.
Then he left.
Years later, Iroh returns wearing a military uniform, carrying a silence Celine cannot read and memories she never truly escaped. Everyone sees a disciplined young officer shaped by duty and sacrifice.
But Celine sees the boy who once walked away from her without explanation.
And the more she tries to understand why he disappeared all those years ago, the more she realizes there are truths buried between their families that were never meant for her to uncover.
Because some people leave to protect themselves.
Others leave to protect the people they love.
And whatever made Iroh walk away the first time...
might be the same reason he's about to leave her again
_____
This novel is written in Taglish.