Pauline's POV
The last person I expected to encounter today was him. Years had passed since our paths last intersected, years filled with resentment and exhaustion that seemed to stretch endlessly. When fate finally brought us face to face again, it had to unfold in the most painful way possible. There he stood, locked in an intimate embrace with another woman, their mouths moving together with desperate hunger, as though the weight of the world had never touched his shoulders.
A sharp pain cut through my chest, stealing my breath. Audrey's image flooded my thoughts without warning. Beautiful, selfless Audrey who had sacrificed everything for this man, who had willingly walked toward death just to secure his tomorrow. Yet here he was, living that future without a trace of guilt, without even the faintest shadow of grief darkening his features.
Time had been generous to him in ways it never was to me.
