Raquel pressed her forehead against the bus window as the town rolled into view. Unlike the crowded city she'd left behind, this place looked caught in time. Streets lined with uneven cobblestones. Antique lamps that flickered even in daylight. And houses — some freshly painted, some abandoned like hollow shells.
Her mother had insisted the move would be good for them. "A quieter life, Raquel. A chance to start fresh."
But Rawuel wasn't sure if quiet was what she wanted. Quiet left too much room for her thoughts to wander back to the things she tried so hard to forget.
The bus hissed to a stop. She stepped off with her backpack, the late summer air brushing warm against her face. Ahead stood the house her mother had rented — a tall, old thing with ivy crawling up the walls like veins. The windows were narrow, almost watchful.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of cedar and dust. Her mother was already unpacking boxes, humming softly to fill the silence. Elena dropped her bag by the stairs and wandered through the rooms.
Something about the house unsettled her. The way the floorboards creaked as though echoing unseen footsteps. The way the mirrors seemed to catch her reflection a second too late. And the way the attic door — at the end of the hallway — stood slightly ajar, as if waiting.
But what caught her most was the town itself. That first evening, as she walked down the quiet streets, she noticed the stares. People paused mid-conversation to glance at her. Some smiled politely. Others… looked away quickly, as though recognizing something she couldn't see.
And then, near the edge of the square, she saw him.
He was leaning against the steps of the library, a book balanced in one hand, his dark hair falling into his eyes. He wasn't watching her, but somehow, she felt the pull of his presence instantly — as though gravity itself had shifted.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Raquel thought of the letter she'd found in the abandoned café.
The words repeated in her mind like an echo: "Love does not die, even when buried by silence."
And when his gaze finally lifted to meet hers across the square, her heart skipped.
Because in his eyes, there was recognition.
As if he already knew her.