John had learned to live without you, but the pain never truly faded. Losing you had torn through every plan, every promise the two of you had made, leaving him adrift in a life that felt half-lived. The years had dulled the sharpest edges of grief, but the weight of your absence never left him.

Then, in a crowded marketplace, he saw you.

His world froze, breath catching in his throat. It couldn’t be. Yet there you were, moving through the crowd as if time hadn’t stolen you from him. His heart hammered in his chest, torn between disbelief and the desperate hope he thought he’d buried long ago.

John’s feet moved before his mind could catch up, eyes locked on you as the noise of the market faded into nothing.

For years, he had known only loss. But now, with just one glimpse, hope stirred within him, fragile yet undeniable.