The deep gray sky, a witness to their inevitable encounter, hovered above them, watching, while the heavy rain poured down. Soaked to the bone, Peter and Rose looked at each other gloomily and with suspicion. Nothing remained in their eyes of the great love they had once believed would last forever. Each lay in wait for the other to speak the first word, but only the rain could be heard as it hammered down.

Peter clenched his fists; he began to tremble as the cold seeped into his body. Across from him, Rose narrowed her eyes. They began to burn as the rain forced its way into them. She clenched her teeth to bear the pain as the burning sensation grew more intense.

“I waited until late last night. Why didn’t you come? Have I become so unimportant to you now?” Peter spoke first.

“I didn’t want to see you. Why can’t you finally understand? I can’t stand you anymore. You ruined everything for me.”

“I know I made a mistake; I admit it. But don’t I deserve the chance to explain why I made this mistake? It’s normal for us humans to err. Or do you think everyone is perfect, like you are?”

“I think I was clear from the very beginning of our relationship. I don’t tolerate any kind of cheating. And what you did was the ultimate betrayal of my trust.”

“But you won’t even let me explain what drove me to do it. You know, in a way, it’s your fault too.”

“Oh! Now it’s my fault too. You really are the absolute worst. I don’t recognize you. Where is the man I fell in love with, honest, the one I felt safe with, the one I gave all my trust to? You’re a stranger to me; I don’t want anything to do with you anymore!”

“You neglected me; for you, there was only your work and nothing else. From morning till night, you talked about nothing but your job. And when we finally decided to go away for a long weekend, you canceled at the last moment, of course, because of your work. I felt like the fifth wheel.”

“And then you simply thought: ‘Oh, I feel so lonely, why don’t I just sleep with my girlfriend’s best friend?’ Tina has been my best friend since school. You didn’t just destroy our relationship; you also destroyed my long-standing friendship with Tina. Bravo! You did a great job. Are you satisfied now?”

“Please, Rose, give me this one chance. It’s the first, and I promise you it will also be the last.”

“I can’t, and I don’t want to. Once trust is broken, for me, it can’t be reestablished. I will always be suspicious, and that will poison everything bit by bit and destroy whatever self-worth I still have. It’s better to go our separate ways at this point. Look, I don’t hate you; honestly, I don’t feel anything for you anymore. Farewell.”

Rose turned around and, with courage, headed toward a new chapter in her life. Suddenly, the burning pain faded, and she felt free.

©2026 Vasiliki Papadopoulou