Chapter 5 – Trials and Tribulations
No love story exists without cracks—places where pressure builds, where the weight of two separate lives begins to pull apart the seams.
For Marcus and Elena, that pressure came quietly.
It started with schedules. Elena's exhibition deadline loomed, and she began working late nights, attending press events, meetings with sponsors, and gallery owners. Marcus understood—he admired her ambition—but missed her presence.
One evening, they had planned a quiet dinner. Marcus even cooked. But Elena texted at the last minute: *"So sorry—something came up. Rain check?"*
It wasn't the first time.
By the third time it happened, Marcus didn't answer right away. When she came by the next evening, his frustration showed.
"I just wish I felt like a priority sometimes," he said, not looking at her.
Elena folded her arms. "I'm not neglecting you, Marcus. I have a career—this exhibition is important."
"I know that. I've always supported you. But we don't talk anymore. We don't even see each other."
She frowned. "I didn't know you felt this way."
"That's the problem," he said quietly.
The silence between them stretched. It wasn't angry—it was tired. Two people who loved each other, both pulling in opposite directions without meaning to.
That night, Elena left early.
For a few days, they didn't speak.
Marcus went to work, tried to distract himself. But the absence of her—her texts, her laugh, her warmth—was loud.
Elena stayed busy, but at night, her apartment felt colder. She played jazz just to fill the quiet.
Both began to wonder the same thing:
*Were they too different after all?*
But underneath the tension, the love remained.
And love, if real, doesn't disappear.
It waits.
Sometimes, it waits for humility.
Sometimes, it waits for a simple "I miss you.