The Tale of Forbidden Love

Riccardo's lips hovered over hers, his dark eyes burning into her soul. Ai Yu held her breath. This was it—her perfect moment.

The ballroom around them shimmered with golden light, the flickering chandeliers casting soft, dancing shadows. A slow melody played in the background, but Ai Yu barely noticed. All she could hear was the rhythmic pounding of her own heart.

Riccardo's fingers brushed her cheek, tracing an invisible path down to her chin. His touch was impossibly gentle, like she was something fragile, something to be cherished.

Ai Yu felt herself melting. This was just like the stories she loved, just like the romance she had always dreamed of. She tilted her head up ever so slightly, closing the last bit of distance between them. Their breaths mingled. His lips grazed hers, the warmth of the moment sending a shiver down her spine—

"Ai YUUUUUUU! WAKE UP! IT'S 9 AM!"

Suddenly, her mother's loud voice jolted her out of her dream.

The dream shattered like delicate glass, the golden light fading into darkness. The music disappeared, the warmth vanished, and suddenly, instead of Riccardo's embrace, Ai Yu was tangled in her blanket.

With a sharp gasp, she jolted awake—just in time to roll off her bed and crash onto the floor.

She groaned, staring at the ceiling, still caught between the echoes of her dream and the brutal reality of morning.

Of course. Her mother had ruined the perfect moment. Again.

Novels and poetries had been her escape ever since she was a little girl. She found solace in the stories, comfort in the words, and joy in the characters she encountered. She stayed up late at night reading page after page and entering different worlds. 

As she got older, she began to favor the romantic kinds of stories which only increased her longing for her own romantic story. The characters she heard and read about made her yearn for a fairy-tale ending to her own life. 

Ai yu groaned as her mother once again began to nag her about her messy habits. She had just woken up and was looking forward to a nice, peaceful breakfast. But her mother never let her have a moment of peace. She tried her best to ignore her mother's scolding and instead focused on her breakfast. Once she was done, she retreated back to her room.