He had promised himself that he would respect her choice. For days, he wandered the city's streets in a daze, her words echoing endlessly in his mind, "I am already engaged."
The world seemed duller now, as if someone had drained the colors from his surroundings.
Yet he still chose to walk away. If this was what she wanted, if this was the life she had chosen, he would honor her decision.
But fate seemed to toy with him cruelly.
No matter how far he tried to distance himself, their paths continued to cross. At the marketplace, he would see her laughing with her friends, her eyes shining like warm sunlight.
In the temple courtyard, she would brush past him unknowingly, the scent of her hair lingering long after she had gone.
Even during the quiet of night, when he sought solace in the shadows, he would glimpse her silhouette beneath the moonlight, dancing, carefree, beautiful.
