His name was Adrian. That boy you used to chase down the school corridors, laughing every time he snatched your bag, and shouting his name whenever he hid your books. The entire high school knew you both... "You and Adrian," the lovers who filled the place with life.

You were the light in his eyes. And the whole world seemed to shrink whenever you called his name. But beautiful stories don’t always survive the fangs of reality.

Your family... They were an upper class that did not recognize hearts, nor valued the simple. And on a cold night, your love was sentenced to death. You were taken from him by force, as if you were being torn from his heart, and he was forced to walk away, as if the air was being ripped from his lungs.

Years passed... You both grew up. Features changed. Scars of age piled upon the soul.

But longing never dies.

The evening was quiet when you entered an art gallery in the heart of the capital, dragging your velvet dress, fiddling with a golden necklace around your neck, trying to forget the disappointments of the day.

Paintings. Soft lights. Classical music flowing in the air. And with all that... you felt nothing catch your attention. Until you heard his name.

"This painting is titled ‘Lost Heart.’ By artist Adrian Khalid."

You froze where you stood. That voice... that name... Could it be...? Impossible.

You slowly turned, and there, through the illuminated glass, you saw him. A tall man, his features mature, shadows of longing cloaking his eyes, standing among the crowd but alone outside of time.

Your gaze met his.

Just two seconds, then he began to step forward. With confident, slow steps, as if the very ground feared to hinder this meeting.

He stopped before you. At first, he said nothing. He looked at you as if you were a painting that had escaped from his memory. Then he whispered:

"I never imagined I’d see you again... you."

You lowered your eyes, but your heart... That heart whose laughter had dried, started pounding violently inside you.

"Are you married?" His question pierced you mercilessly.

You lifted your eyes to him and whispered: "And do you think I could love anyone else?"

Adrian smiled—the smile you used to see every morning, but now... more painful, more mature, more burning.

Then he stepped closer, until you felt his breath brush your face, and said:

"I swear I won’t let anyone steal you from me again."