I was late to the interview. Three minutes - just enough to ruin my focus and turn my silence into panic. He stood at the front of the room, suited up, sharp-eyed - the kind of man you'd assume already had everything. I thought he'd forget me. He did. Until the admins wouldn't stop talking about the girl in white - the quiet one with glowing skin and too-soft eyes. That was the beginning. Not of love. Not even of something real. Just a conversation. A look. A curiosity. I should've walked away. But instead, I stayed. I wish I had loved myself with the same intensity I loved him. But this isn't a story about perfect love. It's about the messy, painful, beautiful way I stayed... even when I shouldn't have. Main Characters: 1. Elira Quiet. Observant. Almost invisible. Yet her presence changes the air, even if no one notices at first. Symbolizes freedom, which is exactly what she fight for emotionally in the story, freedom from a love that drains her. 2. Arian Strategic. Mysterious. Impossible to read. Until he decides to let you in - just enough. Symbolizes professionalism and polished, but holds an emotionally cold undertone. Feels like someone who's admired by many but hard to reach emotionally.