It came when the last sunflower bent, its petals curling inward.
Elara,
Forgive me. I cannot come back. The road has taken me farther than I thought, and my life is moving elsewhere. But know this: I loved you. In the fields, in your laughter, in every color you painted—I loved you. Please remember me not as the one who broke a promise, but as the one who tried to give you light, even for a little while.
—Kai
The letter fell from Elara's trembling hands. She sank to the floor, tears spilling faster than she could catch them. The world blurred—her colors, her sunflowers, her skies—everything dimmed under the weight of his absence.