The story begins with a man.
Romanov paced back and forth in his spacious office, anxiety gnawing at his heart.
His mind was consumed by thoughts of Darlene, the woman he loved. He had wanted to confess his feelings to her for so long, but the timing had never been right.
Every time he felt brave enough to tell her, something always seemed to get in the way.He sighed heavily, running a hand through his tousled hair.
The words he had wanted to say to her remained unspoken, trapped inside him like a caged bird yearning to fly free. He was tired of hiding his feelings, tired of pretending they didn't exist.
He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, how he thought about her every waking moment. Just wanting her in his arms, all to himself to care and cherish. He yearned for her to know the depth of his emotions, to understand how deeply he cared for her.1
The fear of rejection weighed heavily on him, but the thought of never revealing his true feelings weighed even heavier.
He had lost count of the number of times he had practiced the words in his head, the right combination that would convey everything he felt for her.1
But when he stood in front of her, his courage always seemed to desert him, replaced by a paralyzing fear of rejection. He sat down heavily in his chair, his shoulders slumped in defeat.1
Even as his mind churned with indecision, his heart told him it was time.1
He couldn't continue down this path of uncertainty.
He had to find the courage to tell her, even if it meant risking the possibility of rejection.1
Romanov knew he couldn't spend his life dreaming of what could have been if he never took the chance. The thought of losing her to someone else made his stomach knot with anxiety.1
The idea of her with someone who didn't truly appreciate her, who only saw her as a possession, made his blood boil.
Romanov knew he couldn't let that happen.1
If he didn't tell Darlene how he felt, there was a chance she would end up in the arms of someone who would hurt her, someone who wouldn't care for her the way he did.