12

"Why are you here, Max?" Amara asked, her voice a blend of curiosity and defiance.

"I think it's obvious, Amara. I came to take you home," Max replied, a hint of desperation creeping into his tone.

"No," she said simply, her gaze drifting away. "I don't have a home to go to." Her voice softened, but the weight of her words lingered.

"Amara," Max stepped closer, his eyes pleading as he grappled with his emotions. "I miss you. Please don't make me force you."

"You miss me?" she echoed, a bitter smile crossing her lips. "What about your lover? Aren't you happy with her? It would be strange to have both of us there."

"She means nothing to me, you know that. When will you forgive me?" Max's frustration surged as he ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of helplessness.

"Maybe I need time," Amara replied, her voice cold and distant.

"I gave you eight years! Eight years!" Max's voice rose, filled with a mix of anger and sorrow. "Eight years, and you think I didn't know you were here? Did you believe I lost you? I let you live your life while I waited. I waited patiently, my love, but I can't do this anymore. We miss you."

"Wait more, Max. Wait more , Suffer more . But don't lie to yourself about missing me." she said. Without showing expression

Max took a deep breath, striving to calm himself. He felt on the verge of tears as he stepped closer to Amara, bending his knees to meet her gaze. His eyes, filled with longing, searched hers for any hint of understanding.

But Amara looked back at him with a mix of disdain and hurt, her expression hardening as she turned away.

"I waited, yearning for your forgiveness, sacrificing everything and losing myself in the shadows of regret. I despise what I've become, yet I am consumed by a desperate need for your understanding. Just a single word from you could ignite a flicker of joy within me—can this not be love? I've tried to exist without you, but the pain is too much to bear. I am desperate—can't you see? Please, look at me. I miss you deeply. I miss everything about you: your laughter, your tears, your smile, your voice—each thread of you woven into the fabric of my being," Max implored.

Amara's anger flared as she yelled, "Fool me? You dare to take me for a fool again? What is this but a desperate performance? I witnessed it all—I saw you calling her beautiful, felt the sting of your kiss upon her lips. In that instant, my paradise shattered, never to bloom again. I hate you. I despise you with every fiber of my being. I lost everything, everything I lost my 2 life for your love stop husting me please".