Weeks later, Elara began again. She painted the last sunflower—standing tall, defiant, golden against the fading sky.
It was not wilted. On her canvas, it never would be. She poured her love, her longing, her grief into every stroke until the flower looked alive, eternal.
She hung it on her balcony wall, where she could see it each day. To her, it was not just a painting—it was Kai. It was the promise she chose to keep, even if he did not.