Months passed.
The plantation continued as though nothing had changed, but Arinya was no longer the same.She refused to marry the man the overseer chose for her.She refused to sing during work.She refused to smile.
Her spirit was too heavy.
Yet she carried Kelan with her.
In her dreams, she heard his voice.In the wind, she felt his touch.In the moonlight, she saw his eyes.
One night she realized something terrifying:
She had loved this man long before she met him.And she knew with terrifying certainty, she would love him again.
Whether she wanted to or not.
THE WHISPER OF FATE
The year ended in storms.
Thunder rattled the sky as Arinya slipped once more to the marsh, barefoot, shawl soaked through. She knelt where Kelan lay buried and pressed her palms to the earth.
Why us? she whispered. Why do I feel like I've lost you a hundred times?
Lightning split the sky.
For a heartbeat, she thought she saw a figure, tall, familiar, standing at the edge of the marsh. His silhouette looked just like Kelan's.
She blinked
Gone.
Only darkness.
Only rain.
Arinya lifted her face toward the sky, tears mixing with the storm.
I will find you again, she promised.Even if the stars don't want us to.
And something far above seemed to shift.Not enough to help them.Just enough to watch.