07

Bela's POV

The tension in the hallway was suffocating. Richard stood in the doorway, wet and determined, while Clara remained by my side, her gaze shifting between us. I could feel her unease like a physical weight pressing on my chest.

“What mistake, Richard?” I asked, my voice sharper now, cutting through the thick silence. I crossed my arms, my stance firm despite the swirl of emotions inside me.

He ran a hand through his wet hair, droplets of water dripping onto the porch. “I shouldn’t have let you go,” he said, his tone filled with regret. “I thought I was doing the right thing for both of us, but I realized I was wrong.”

Clara stiffened beside me, her expression hardening. I could feel the discomfort radiating from her, but she remained silent, letting me handle the situation.

“You realized that now?” I said, my voice tinged with disbelief. “After all this time? After the day you chose to abandon me when I needed you the most?”

Richard stepped back slightly, as if my words had struck him. “Bela, I know I chose the worst possible moment, but I—”

“The worst moment?” I interrupted, my voice rising. “You broke up with me on the day my mother died, Richard. The same day. And now you show up here as if that means nothing?”

He closed his eyes for a moment, his expression contorted with guilt. “I thought I was giving you space. You were so devastated, and I didn’t know how to help. I thought I was in the way.”

“So, you decided the best way to help me was to disappear?” My voice trembled, filled with a rage I hadn’t realized I still carried. “You weren’t in the way, Richard. You left me completely alone.”

Clara remained still beside me, but her silence was deafening. She was close enough that I could feel her warmth, a comforting reminder that I wasn’t as alone now as Richard had made me feel that day.

“I know I failed you,” he said, his voice shaky. “But I was lost, Bela. I didn’t know how to handle the pain—yours or mine.”

“That’s no excuse,” I shot back. “I had to face everything alone while you ran away.”

Richard looked at me, his eyes shining with tears. “I never stopped thinking about you. I regretted that day from the moment I left. But I was scared to come back, scared that it was too late.”

“And you thought showing up here, unannounced, would fix everything?”

“I had to try,” he said, his voice laden with desperation. “I had to tell you that I still love you.”

Those words hung in the air like a dark cloud, while a new wave of emotions crashed over me—anger, pain, and something else I didn’t want to name.

Clara finally moved beside me, her firm tone breaking the silence. “Bela doesn’t need this, Richard. She’s already been through more than enough without you.”

Richard turned to Clara, his eyes narrowing. “With all due respect, Clara, this is none of your business.”

“It’s my business when you show up at her door in the middle of the night, trying to resolve your guilt at her expense,” Clara replied, her voice sharp. “You left her at the worst moment of her life. Now you think you can just come back and say you love her as if that will fix everything?”

“I just want a chance to explain,” Richard insisted, his voice trembling with frustration.

“You don’t deserve that chance,” Clara shot back.

“Why do you care so much, Clara?” Richard fired back, his tone laced with suspicion. “What exactly is going on here?”

My heart raced, and I turned to Clara, waiting to see how she would respond. She stood rigid, but she didn’t back down.

“I care because Bela deserves better than you,” Clara said, her voice firm but controlled.

Richard looked at me again, his eyes full of questions he didn’t dare ask. “Bela,” he said softly. “I just want you to know that I’m sorry. And that I’m still here if you want me.”

“I need you to leave, Richard,” I replied, my voice tired but resolute. “You can’t undo what you did. And I don’t want you to try.”

He stood still for a moment, then stepped back, defeated. “If you ever change your mind... you know where to find me.”

With that, he turned and disappeared into the rain, his figure soon swallowed by the darkness.

I leaned against the door, letting out a shaky breath. My hands were still trembling, and my head swirled with a storm of emotions. Clara stood beside me, her arms crossed, her gaze fixed on the closed door.

“Are you okay?” she asked finally, her voice low.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, running my hands over my face.

“He never should have come here,” Clara said, her tone firm but laced with something else—protection, maybe.

I looked at her, surprised by the intensity in her voice. “Why does this matter so much to you?” I asked.

Clara hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Because you deserve someone who won’t abandon you. And I—”

She stopped, her words hanging in the air.

“And you what, Clara?” I pressed, my voice soft but insistent.

“I care about you, Bela,” she said finally, her voice a whisper. “More than I should. And seeing him show up like that, after everything you’ve been through... it made me realize I can’t keep pretending this is just about taking care of you.”

My breath caught, her gaze meeting mine with an intensity that left me speechless.

“You’re not going to lose me, Clara,” I said finally, my voice soft but firm. “But I need you to stop running from this.”

Clara looked at me for a long moment, and then finally, she nodded. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

It wasn’t a resolution, but it was a start. And for now, that was enough.