Adrian told Elena he was distancing himself from his mother.
He declined family dinners and started looking for a different apartment rather than remaining in a property Victoria owned.
Elena hoped those changes were real.
She also refused to treat them as an obligation to resume the engagement.
One evening, they met to return belongings.
A jacket.
A spare key.
Books each had left at the other’s home.
Adrian looked exhausted.
“I should have stopped her.”
“Yes.”
“I was afraid of what would happen.”
“So was I.”
He looked up.
Elena folded her hands.
“I was afraid you’d think I wasn’t worth the argument.”
Adrian’s eyes filled.
“You were.”
“But you made me find out whether I could live without you instead.”
He lowered his head.
For a while, neither spoke.
Elena did not enjoy his regret.
She had loved him.
That made the conversation harder, not easier.
“I hope you learn how to disagree with her,” she said. “For yourself.”
“Is there any chance for us?”
She considered the question honestly.
“Not one I can promise you.”
He nodded.
The uncertainty belonged to him now.
Elena had spent enough time waiting for the person he said he would become.
She took her books and left.
