Stolen Promises, Cost of Forever

Selina had always prided herself on her independence. From a young age, she had learned to rely on herself, her ambition, and her resilience. Growing up in a world that demanded strength, she had built walls around her heart, keeping everyone at a distance. Love was something she had never truly understood, something she had convinced herself was unnecessary. There were goals to achieve, dreams to chase, and a future to build. For her, love had never been a priority.

But then came Nicki.

Nicki had been different. He had entered her life like a force of nature, unexpected and undeniable. She had tried to ignore him, tried to keep her focus, but Nicki’s smile and the way he looked at her made it impossible. He was everything she hadn’t known she needed. They had shared moments of passion, laughter, and comfort, and for the first time in her life, Selina had let her guard down. She had allowed herself to care, to love.

But Nicki left. He didn’t leave in a dramatic, tear-filled confrontation. He didn’t promise her a future and then disappear. Instead, he left quietly, telling her he needed space, that he had to focus on his life. He didn’t ask for her to wait, but somehow, she did. She held on to the hope that one day, when the timing was right, he would come back. She held on because, for the first time, someone had made her feel like she mattered, like she was enough. And so, she waited.

Even when he didn’t call, even when he didn’t show up, Selina waited. Her love for him wasn’t something that could be erased easily. She knew that she was waiting for a man who had never truly asked her to wait, but in her heart, she believed in the possibility that one day, Nicki would return. It was a kind of love that didn’t require constant reassurances or promises. It was quiet, patient, and enduring. A love that lived in the space between the silences and the unspoken words.

And then, there was Damon.

Damon wasn’t supposed to be in her life. He was different from Nicki in every way. While Nicki had been gentle and considerate, Damon was assertive, bold, and challenging. He had a confidence that could be seen from a mile away, and he didn’t hide his attraction to her. Their encounters had always been charged with tension—passionate yet combative, as if they were both testing each other, finding their limits. Damon had a way of making her feel seen in a way Nicki never had.

When Damon told her he would be gone for almost a year, something in Selina shifted. She had spent her life running from vulnerability, building walls to protect herself, but with Damon, it was different. She couldn’t explain it, but she had always felt like she could be real with him, even when he pushed her buttons. And as he stood there, telling her about his upcoming absence, she felt an old, familiar ache. She had lived through waiting before, and it seemed she was about to do it again.

Damon, however, wasn’t one to understand such things. He was direct, perhaps too direct for her liking. He asked, with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity, “What kind of woman would wait that long for a man?”

Selina froze. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. Her mind flashed back to the years she had spent waiting for Nicki, wondering if she was foolish for doing so, wondering if it had all been a waste of time. But there was something inside her—a quiet, steady knowing—that told her that waiting had never been a waste. Waiting had been a choice she made because she loved deeply, and that love was worth the wait.

“A woman who loves deeply would wait,” Selina said, her voice steady, though her heart was pounding in her chest. “A woman like me.”

She saw the shift in Damon’s expression immediately. His eyes, usually so confident and sharp, softened for a brief moment, almost imperceptibly. But it was enough for her to notice. For the first time since they had met, his guard was down, too.

He studied her, his gaze narrowing, as if he was trying to understand something about her—something he hadn’t seen before. He took a slow breath, then asked quietly, “You. You would wait for him?”

Selina’s breath hitched in her throat. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. The rawness of the question hit her like a wave, and she felt exposed in a way that terrified her. Her heart, which had been carefully guarded for so long, was now laid bare before him. There was no hiding, no pretending. She had been waiting for Nicki for so long that she had forgotten how to stop. She had allowed herself to believe that someday he would return, even though deep down, she wasn’t sure if he ever would.

And yet, in that moment, she realized that it didn’t matter. The love she had for Nicki was not a weakness. It wasn’t about waiting for a man to save her or to fulfill some idea of what love should look like. It was about a choice she made—choosing to love deeply, even when the future was uncertain. It was about believing that love, in its purest form, could endure the passage of time, the silence, and the distance.

Selina looked up at Damon, her eyes meeting his, and for the first time, she allowed herself to show him the truth. Her guard slipped completely, and the vulnerability she had hidden for so long emerged.

“Yes,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes, I would wait for him.”

The words hung in the air between them, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Damon stood there, seemingly lost in thought. His eyes softened, and for the first time, Selina saw something she hadn’t expected: respect. Respect for the strength it took to love so completely, even when the person you loved wasn’t there.

Damon didn’t know what to say next. He was a man of action, not words, and he hadn’t expected this kind of honesty from her. He had assumed that Selina was someone who didn’t need anyone, someone who could stand alone without ever looking back. But what he saw in her eyes now was something different. She wasn’t just a woman who had built walls around herself; she was someone who had loved fully, without reservation, and who was willing to wait for that love, no matter the cost.

“I get it,” Damon said quietly, his voice tinged with something deeper, something that wasn’t there before. “You love him.”

Selina nodded. She wasn’t sure where this conversation would lead, or how it would change things between them, but for the first time, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had spoken her truth, and that truth was powerful. It wasn’t about waiting for a man to rescue her or make her whole—it was about waiting for the kind of love that was worth everything, even the pain.

Damon’s eyes flickered, and for a brief moment, he seemed to understand. He didn’t say anything more, but there was a quiet shift between them, a recognition that neither of them had expected. There was still a long road ahead, but in that moment, Selina realized that sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is allow yourself to be vulnerable. And that vulnerability might just lead you to the love you’ve been waiting for—not because you need it, but because you’re strong enough to believe in it.

And so, as Damon prepared to leave, and as Selina stood there, her heart both heavy and light, she knew one thing for certain: no matter what the future held, she had learned the most important lesson of all: that love, real love, was something worth waiting for.