Leya stood at the edge of the balcony, the cool night air brushing against her skin. Below her, the city buzzed with life. The skyline, lit up by countless lights, seemed to stretch endlessly, the glass towers towering over the bustling streets. It was a city of dreams, a city where careers were made, where people found their place in the world. But for Leya, it felt like a cage, a beautiful, shimmering cage.
She leaned against the railing, her gaze lost in the horizon. The world felt too big, too overwhelming, and yet, all she could do was play her part in it. The expectations, the constant pressure to be someone she wasn't—it all weighed heavily on her shoulders.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her from her thoughts. She took it out, glancing at the screen. Clara.
The message was short, but it carried the weight of everything Leya had been avoiding:
"Reis is in town. I think you should meet him. It's been too long."
Leya's stomach tightened. Reis. The name alone made her chest ache, but she quickly dismissed it. It was foolish to think about him now. They hadn't spoken in years, not since that summer when everything fell apart. She wasn't the same person anymore. Neither was he, she told herself.
She stared at the message for a long time before typing a quick reply.
"I'm fine, Clara. Let the past stay there."
But the truth was, the past was never far. Not when it had shaped her, shaped the person she'd become—whether she liked it or not. She couldn't deny that a part of her still wondered about him. Wondered what would have happened if they had taken a different path.
She put the phone back into her pocket and sighed. Tomorrow was another meeting with her parents, another discussion about her future, another attempt to convince her that their vision for her was the right one. She loved them, but they didn't understand her. They never had. They never could.
"You've got a meeting with Sabine tomorrow morning," her mother had said that morning. "She's a big name in fashion, Leya. You can't afford to pass up an opportunity like this."
But Leya didn't care about Sabine. She didn't care about the glossy world her parents had envisioned for her. They didn't see her. Not really. They saw the daughter they wanted her to be. A designer, a success story, a perfect reflection of their own ambitions.
Leya wasn't sure she knew who she was anymore. She felt lost, drifting in a sea of expectations and doubts. It wasn't just the pressure from her parents—it was everything. The life she had created for herself felt like a mask, a role she was playing to fit in. But in the quiet moments, when she was alone with her thoughts, she could feel the cracks forming, the mask beginning to slip.
She was running out of time to make a decision, to choose her own path. But the thought of taking that first step, of breaking free from everything that had defined her, was terrifying.
Her phone buzzed again, this time a call from her mother.
"Leya, we need to talk about tomorrow. It's important."
Leya hesitated before answering. "I'll be there, Mom."
She didn't want to talk about tomorrow. She didn't want to talk about her career, her future, or any of the things that felt like they were suffocating her. But she knew she had no choice. It was expected.
Leya took one last look at the city below, then went inside, closing the balcony door behind her. She tried to shake the uneasy feeling settling in her chest, but it lingered, like a shadow she couldn't outrun.