Will POV
Days passed... and with every day, I became colder and colder older to people. Colder to myself.
Colder because every smile reminded me of her.
Last night, after office hours, I saw Minnie again.
She was standing near the gate. A man walked toward her with a bunch of roses in his hands. He smiled at her. She smiled back. He gave her the flowers... and for a second, she held them close to her chest.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel.
So... this is it.
She really moved on.
Something inside me shattered. I didn't know whether it was anger or pain or jealousy. I just knew it hurt too much to breathe.
I drove home like a lifeless body.
When I entered the house, Mom, Dad, and Luna were sitting together and having dinner. Their laughter echoed in the hall. I didn't belong there. I walked straight toward my room.
"WilI..." Mom called softly.
I stopped.
Mom : "Come and eat with us.'
I wanted to say no. I wanted to say I don't feel hungry. But I couldn't hurt her. So I went and sat beside Luna.
Mom served food on my plate. I chewed without tasting anything.
Dad spoke after a while, "How is the preparation for the company's 15th anniversary party"
"All going well, Dad," I answered in a dry voice.
Mom suddenly kept her spoon down. Her eyes searched my face.
Mom : "Will... is there anything you want to tell us?"
I looked away.
"No. Mom."
Her voice trembled with anger and care mixed together.
Mom : "How long are you going to hide the truth that Minnie is working as your assistant?"
My heart skipped.
looked at her in shock.
Dad stood up slightly. "Minnie is working for you?"
Luna's eyes widened. "You mean that Minnie... the one Will loved
I whispered,
"How do you know, Mom?"
She sighed deeply.
"Will, I am the Vice President of this company and I saw the resumes myself, and I did not know Minnie had applied until I saw her name, and when I saw it my heart remembered the night you cried in your grandmother's lap and told her everything about Minnie, how you lost her, how much you loved her, and how you still could not forget her, so I chose her not just for this job but for you, for your future and for your happiness, and my anger is not toward Minnie but toward you, because destiny placed her in front of you again and still you treat her like a stranger and now you punish her with silence, remember this Will, this is your second chance, and if you break it again, the pain will not be hers alone, it will be yours forever.."
My chest tightened.
"Why, Mom? Why did you do that?"
My voice broke.
"I don't deserve her love. I hurt her. I lost her."
Mom walked toward me and held my face in her hands.
"Maybe destiny doesn't want you to lose her. She entered your life again for a reason. This is your second chance. Don't waste it."
I shook my head slowly.
"She already moved on, Mom."
Dad asked softly, "What makes you think so?"
"Every evening, a man comes to pick her up. Today evening also i saw her hug him."
Luna stood up and touched my shoulder.
Luna : "Brother... a hug doesn't mean love. Maybe he is just her friend. Why don't you talk to her instead of breaking yourself like this?"
Mom nodded with tears in her eyes.
Mom : "Will, I know Minnie. She loved you with her whole heart. She can't forget you in a few days."
My voice cracked.
I looked at her and said "I don't want to hurt her again, Mom. I don't want to enter her life and ruin her peace."
I stood up slowly.
"I'm tired."
I washed my hands and went to my room.
I lay on my bed and turned toward the balcony. The moon was shining softly, like it was watching my pain.
Luna's words echoed in my mind.
What if he is only her friend?
What if she still feels the same?
My throat tightened.
"If that man is only her friend... does that mean destiny is giving me another chance?"
Tears rolled silently into my pillow.
"I don't deserve her... but I still love her."
I closed my eyes, broken between fear and hope, whispering into the night,
"Minnie... if fate brought you back into my life... please don't let me lose you again."
Minnie POV
I finished my work and started packing my things when Caroline suddenly appeared in front of me like a tornado.
Caroline: "Minnieee! Are you free now? Shall we go shopping?"
I looked at her with tired eyes. My body said bed, but my heart said shopping therapy. Will had already given me enough work to destroy my peace for one week.
I nodded slowly. "Okay... but if I faint in the shop, you will carry me."
When we came out of the office, I saw Akil standing near his car with a bunch of roses. I stopped walking.
Caroline (whispering loudly): "Aiyooo Minnie... flower scene ah?"
I went near Akil and looked at the roses and then at him.
"If Sara comes to know you are giving roses to me, she will not kill you... she will bury you alive."
Akil laughed. "Relax madam. These are from Sara only. She said, 'Give this to Minnie and make her smile.' I am just delivery boy."
Caroline put her hand on her chest dramatically. "Aww... best friend sending roses. My best friend only sends me reels."
I rolled my eyes. "Drama queen."
I told Akil we were going shopping.
Akil: "Great! I will come as your bodyguard." Caroline: "Bodyguard? You will only sit and talk to Sara."
Akil: "That is also protection... emotional protection."
We all laughed and got into the car.
On the way, I told them about my office work and
how Will behaved cold with me.
Caroline added masala.
"So basically your boss is acting like villain and hero at the same time."
Akil looked at me through the mirror. "Why are you still caring so much, Minnie?"
I smiled but my heart felt heauy. "Because some feelings don't listen to brain."
We reached the dress shop Caroline chose. I looked at the shop board and swallowed.
"Caroline... this shop looks expensive. Even the door looks rich."
She dragged me inside. "Don't see price, just see beauty."
Caroline went to the trial room with dresses. Akil was busy talking to Sara like full-time lover boy. After some time, he came near me and gave me his phone.
Akil: "Talk to your bestie."
Sara shouted from the phone: "Minnieeee! Did you get my roses?"
Me: "Yes madam. Your boyfriend nearly went to jail for it."
Sara laughed. "Now try a dress. You must look like queen in party."
Suddenly Akil came holding some dresses.
Akil: "Try these Minnie. You also need dress for party."
Me: "No Akil, I already have dress."
Sara (shouting): "No excuses. Go and try. I want to see you glowing."
I sighed. "Both of you teamed up against me."
I went inside the trial room.
First dress - too short.
I looked in mirror. "This is not dress. This is handkerchief."
Second dress - too tight. "If I breathe, this dress will file case against me."
Finally, I wore a black long-sleeve dress. I looked into the mirror... and went silent.
The dress hugged me perfectly. Black, shining, elegant. I turned left... turned right... and nearly tripped because the dress was too long.

I laughed at myself.
"Minnie, you came for shopping, not royal wedding."
But suddenly my smile faded a little. For the first time after many days... I felt beautiful.
Not the broken Minnie. Not the crying Minnie. Just... Minnie.
My phone rang.
Sara: "Show meeeee!"
I sent her a picture.
Sara screamed: "OMG Minnie! You look like a heroine!" Caroline from outside shouted: "Come out! Let us judge you."
I came out slowly.
Caroline opened her mouth. "Who is this? Minnie or model?"
Akil looked at me and smiled softly. "Sara will faint if she sees you like this."
I smiled, but inside my heart whispered something dangerous...
What if Will sees me like this? Will he still be cold? Or will he remember the girl he once loved?
I touched the dress softly and thought, Maybe this party is not just about company anniversary... maybe it's about fate giving me one more chance.
And for the first time in many days,
I laughed with my friends...
But my heart still carried Will's name quietly inside it.
After paying the bill, we went to a restaurant and finished our dinner. Akil dropped Caroline first and then dropped me at my apartment. I placed my bag on the sofa, took a shower, and fell asleep immediately.
The next morning was Sunday. I felt happy because could take a full rest and I didn't have to see Will. I decided to watch a movie I had saved. I prepared a sandwich, turned the music volume high, and sat on the sofa to enjoy my zombie movie. I love zombie and horror movies.
In the middle of the movie, the doorbell rang. I paused the screen and went to open the door. I froze the moment I saw who was standing there.
It was Will's mother.
Mia: "Hello dear, how are you?"
I came back to my senses and hugged her tightly. She hugged me back with the same warmth. "I'm good, aunty. Please come inside," I said softly.
She smiled and sat down. "Come, sit with me."
I went to the kitchen and brought her the apple juice I had prepared for myself. She looked around the apartment with gentle eyes.
Mia: "Your apartment looks very clean, Minnie."
I smiled and sat beside her. "How are you, aunty? And how is uncle?"
Mia: "We are all good, dear. Is your work going well? Are you comfortable there?"
I hesitated for a moment and then asked honestly, "Aunty... how did you know I am here? I didn't even contact you after you returned to Paris."
She shook her head with a small smile. "I am the Vice President of the company, Minnie. Of course, I know that you are working with Will"
I nodded slowly and hugged her again. Her hug felt like my mother's hug, and my heart became heavy with emotion because I missed my mom so much. I told her about what happened in the office and how lonely I felt.
She gently touched my cheek.
Mia: "Why do you feel lonely when I am here? Actually, I am angry with you," she said dramatically.
I looked at her in confusion.
"Why, aunty"
Mia: "It has been weeks since you came to Paris , Minnie... and you never came to see me even once."
My voice trembled.
Minnie: "Aunty... I'm sorry. After what happened in Chennai, I didn't have the courage to face you. I didn't even know where you were staying."
She held my hands tightly, her eyes soft but full of sadness.
Mia: "I have already forgiven everything, Minnie. The only person I should be angry with is Will. That fake relationship... it was his mistake, not yours."
My heart sank. I looked down at my hands, unable to meet her eyes.
Minnie: "It's already lunch time, aunty. Let me cook something for you."
Mia: "I'll help you."
We stood together in the kitchen, side by side, yet a thousand memories stood between us. The warmth of the stove felt like home, but my heart felt empty. Every time she tried to speak about Will, I turned away. I was afraid that one word about him would break me completely.
After we ate, she sighed deeply, like she was carrying years of pain inside her chest.
Mia: "Minnie... I know you don't want to hear his name. But I must tell you the truth. My son has lived a lonely life. After Tara, he closed his heart to every woman.
"But when you came into his life... he changed. You became the reason he smiled again. You gave him the love he never asked for but desperately needed."
My throat burned. Tears blurred my vision.
Mia (continued): "It was his fault that he didn't say his feelings aloud. When he returned to Paris, he became cold again, the same man who hides his pain behind silence.
But believe me, Minnie... you are still living inside his heart. Just as he lives inside yours. You were never just a chapter in his life. You were the whole story."
My control shattered.
Minnie: "Aunty... you talk about his pain. But what about mine? What about the nights I cried alone? What about the dreams I buried inside my heart?"
My tears fell freely now.
"I loved him with everything I had. I still do. And don't know how to stop loving him."
I covered my face with my hands.
"You know I cannot live without my mom If I stayed in Chennai, I would disappear piece by piece. That is why I ran away. I changed cities, I changed my life... just to forget him."
My voice broke into a whisper
But fate is cruel, aunty. The man I tried so hard to forget is now the man I must see every day. The one I escaped from... is the one I work under."
I collapsed into her arms like a child who had lost her way. She held me tightly, as if she could protect me from my own pain.
Mia: "Oh, my child... I know. I know your heart is bleeding. Love is not something we can turn off like a switch."
She kissed my forehead.
"Take your time, Minnie. Cry if you need to. Heal slowly. Don't force yourself to be strong.
"All I want is for you and Will to find peace... even if that peace is not together."
Her words broke me even more... but at the same time, they healed me
I stayed in her arms for a long time. For the first time since leaving Chennai, my heart felt heard. My pain finally had a witness.
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Author Note
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