Elikai Valeno

Ever since he was born into a family with two older brothers, Elikai had always been competing for attention. Why? His parents never stopped comparing him to Alan and Nick. Always Alan this. Always Nick that. And Elikai? He was just the shadow they never cared enough to see.

He tried. God, he tried. He did everything better, but it was never enough. And so something in him hardened. He became cold. Distant. Devoid of any emotion.

He stopped seeking approval that would never come. He became a man of silence. His icy blue eyes never shed a tear. His lips, pressed into a permanent line, never laughed, never smiled. His hands never reached out to anyone with love.

He behaved like a man carved from ice, every inch of him composed yet disturbingly magnetic

And then, at twenty-seven, the day came when they asked him to marry her. She was twenty, with her long, silky brown hair always in a loose ponytail, layered bangs framing her beautiful face, fair skin with freckles, and round brown eyes. She was stunning. But beauty meant nothing to him. He married her out of obligation, and that's how they lived: two strangers bound by a piece of paper.

Five months later, he joined the army at his father's request. And so, for several months he was at war.

Until the day of return

He stood among thousands of soldiers in a vast grassy field, all silent, hands behind their backs, expressions carved in stone. Each soldier waited to be touched, freed by the embrace of someone who had come for them. He stood waiting. No one came.

And for the first time in years, Elikai felt the sting in his chest. He wanted to break. But he didn't. He remained still, his icy blue eyes fixed on the abyss before him, determined not to crumble, until he saw you.

His wife. Getting out of a car