How long had it been? She couldn't remember.
For the first few nights after he left, she kept watching the opening through which he had slipped into this place.
Day after day, she did nothing but stare at it, hoping to catch even the slightest movement or hear him tumble down again.
But eventually, she stopped. She tried to be realistic.
He had said he would need time before returning. He must have a family of his own waiting for him. Responsibilities he needed to take care of.
Who was she to him, anyway? Just a mermaid he had happened to stumble across during a hunt.
She hadn't given him that pearl to leave an impression, but a small part of her still hoped that, for the sake of that gift, he would come back.
Yet, little by little, that hope began to fade.
She had been through this before.
Her parents had always left her alone, never truly considering her part of the family. She had spent her life neglected and abandoned.
