Chained by Love

Lila couldn't stop thinking about him. It had only been a week since Kael's wedding, but it felt like a lifetime. Every moment she spent away from him was a new kind of agony. Her heart wanted him, and yet she knew it was a love she could never have. She had tried to move on, tried to accept the reality of what had happened, but it wasn't easy.

The night of the wedding replayed in her mind over and over again. She had watched him marry Elara, the princess he had been promised to. Lila had stood at the back of the hall, hidden in the shadows, feeling like an outsider in a world that no longer had a place for her. She had thought she could walk away from it all, but it wasn't that simple.

Lila had tried to stay away from the palace, tried to focus on other things, but her thoughts always returned to Kael. It wasn't just the love she felt for him, it was everything about him. The way he looked at her, the way he made her feel safe even when the world seemed dark. He had always been there for her, and she had always believed that maybe, just maybe, they had a future together. But now, all of that seemed like a distant dream.

A few days after the wedding, Lila found herself standing in the garden, staring at the fountain where she had once spent hours with Kael, talking about their hopes and dreams. The place was empty now, silent. The breeze swept through the trees, and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain in her chest.

She had to let go. She knew that. She had to move on. But how could she? How could she forget the love of her life, the person who had made her feel like she mattered?

The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She turned, her heart skipping a beat when she saw him standing there.

Kael.

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Lila felt like the world had stopped. All the emotions she had been trying to bury rushed to the surface. She felt anger, sadness, and loneliness all at once.

Kael took a hesitant step forward, his eyes filled with regret. "Lila," he said, his voice soft.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone colder than she intended.

"I needed to see you," he admitted, his voice full of honesty. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Lila crossed her arms over her chest, trying to protect herself from the flood of emotions threatening to break through. "You're married now, Kael. You made your choice."

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said, his eyes pleading with her.

"But you did," she replied, her voice trembling. "You hurt me more than you know."

Kael took another step forward, his gaze never leaving hers. "I never wanted to hurt you. I just... I thought I was doing the right thing."

"The right thing?" Lila laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "You married someone else because you thought it was the right thing? What about what we had? What about what we could've had?"

Kael's face fell. "I don't know. I was pressured by so many things... I didn't think about what I wanted, only what I had to do."

"Exactly," Lila said, her voice softening but still full of pain. "You never thought about me. You never thought about us."

Kael reached out, as if he wanted to hold her, but Lila took a step back, shaking her head. "Don't. Please."

"Lila, I—"

"No, Kael," she interrupted, her voice cracking. "It's too late. You made your choice. You're the king now, and I'm just... I'm just the girl you left behind."

Kael's eyes filled with guilt. "I never wanted to leave you behind. I never wanted this."

"Then why did you do it?" Lila asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why didn't you fight for me? Why didn't you choose me?"

Kael looked away. "I thought I was doing what was best for everyone. But now... I don't know. I feel like I lost everything."

"You didn't lose everything," Lila said quietly. "You just lost me."

The words hit him harder than he expected. He had lost her. He had chosen the throne, the kingdom, and in doing so, he had lost the one person who had meant everything to him.

"I'm so sorry," Kael whispered, his voice breaking.

Lila didn't know what to say. She wanted to forgive him, wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but the truth was, she couldn't. She couldn't keep waiting for him to make up his mind. She couldn't keep living in the shadow of a love that wasn't meant to be.

"I have to go," Lila said, her voice steady, even though her heart was shattering.

She turned and walked away, not looking back. Kael's voice called out to her, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

As Lila walked through the garden, her chest tight with emotion, she realized something. She was stronger than she had ever known. She could live without Kael. She could move on. It hurt, yes, but she wasn't going to let him be the one thing that defined her.

She would find her own path, her own future, without him.

And maybe, someday, she would learn to love again.