That night, Adam sat in his room, the bouquet Layla had given him still on the table by the window. The scent of the flowers filled the space, but inside him, it awakened a painful struggle.
Should he allow his heart to beat again?
Or would that be a betrayal of his late lover's memory?
He ran his hand gently over the white petals, then whispered:
— "If I love her… am I betraying you?"
But the image of Layla's face returned before him—her smile capable of breaking through the walls of his grief, and her eyes carrying a warmth he hadn't felt in years. Inside, he tried to run from her, yet he longed for her every moment.
The next day, when he entered the shop, he found her on her wheelchair, arranging the flowers with difficulty. He approached quickly to help, but his hand froze in the air. He hesitated… he didn't want her to feel that he pitied her.
She lifted her head to him and said gently:
— "Adam… you know? The hardest part isn't that I'm in a wheelchair… it's feeling like a burden to someone."
Her words pierced his heart. He knelt in front of her and spoke with honesty he had never dared to express before:
— "Layla… you are not a burden. You are the only reason I wake up every morning… without you, my life has no meaning."
She blushed, and her heart trembled. She had longed to hear these words, yet in his eyes, she also saw a deep fear… the fear of losing her as he had lost before.
She smiled softly and replied:
— "Love is not a promise of no pain, Adam… but it is a promise that we will face it together."
In that moment, he felt all the walls around his heart begin to crumble. For the first time in years, he allowed himself to believe that life could offer him another chance… even if fear still walked beside him.