Christian could tell when she was upset, and they were partaking of a delightful dinner at a romantic Italian restaurant with the scent of burning candles light and fresh baked bread lingering in the air. Christian gave her a worried look, ‘Are you okay?’“Hi,” he whispered softly and took her hand into his own, as he sat down beside her. “You seem… distant. Is something bothering you?”Phoebe frowned slightly and chose her words carefully as she replied, Though I don’t know how to say this she hesitated. She paused for a moment before answering and whispered. “I’m sorry, Christian. It’s just… I think I am still in a state of shock. In your company every moment was so great, but at the same time… at the same time I began to think if I really want to get over it.Christian smiled and his eyes looked less harsh, though there was a brief moment of suffering. “Phoebe, I understand. I think you need to know this, and it is about us. I just do not want to be a r

Phoebe felt her heart pumping with blood as she waited for Seth’s reaction to her words. She knew that this was not just any casual utterance that flowed off his lips, but a deliberate reminder of the friendship that had characterized their relationship in the past. She drew a deep breath to calm herself down.“Seth,” she answered meekly, ”we cannot keep going back there.” Instead, she said: “My heart now is with Christian.”But Seth’s look did not soften, he kept staring at her, his eyes burning. “I know, Phoebe. But that doesn’t change what we had or the fact that… part of me never stopped loving you.”It suddenly struck Phoebe as she could understand the temptation to be drawn into the din of their past and how this could blow up everything she was setting up with Christian. She stepped aside, creating some space between them and whispered, “Then it’s time to move on.” For both of us.”She then walked off the balcony and returned to the heat of

She did not even pause, and when he offered her his hand, their fingers touched, and they immediately locked their fingers. It was the most charged and yet the most serene time that I felt could be lived and nothing more. They felt as if they were surrounded by a veil, which separated them from the rest of the world, and left them alone with each other.They went on hand in hand, and two of them perfectly coupled as their feet marched them further into the dark. The sea murmured, the day brightened up and only then Phoebe had the feeling that she is really somewhere without any pretense.And the more they strolled along the shore the less words were necessary, the more the silence between them was sacred. They didn’t need words. It was a relief to move their hands and lips, to speak the halting words of a start, the weight of everything they had shared their pasts, their doubts, their hopes lightened in their long, comfortable strides.Finally, they came a

His goals had become his obsession, obliterating his mission statement, but he brushed it aside as soon as it crossed his mind. He would not allow any person, especially Aidan to hinder him.Elsewhere in town, Phoebe and Christian stayed home and just had dinner together. They have planned to go out of the city to relax themselves and free from the recent pressure. As they packed their belongings, Phoebe was ready for the burden of a decision to come to place on her. Though this trip was short, it served as an allegory for moving on to the next phase of building a new life, independent from former betrayals where she can trust Christian.They got to a cabin near a lake, in the middle of the woods and under the stars. For the first time in what seemed like a really long time, Phoebe was able to breathe easily. Christian embraced her while they admired the twinkle of the stars and she found solace that here in this place, they are now free to start living a life free

Seth tried not to let the doubt surface but he could not help it when he heard Aidan say that. He tossed it away, which he didn’t want anyone to see him struggling with. However, over the days he started seeing the effects of his choices on the organization. He was shunned, rumors followed him around campus, and the overall attitude of the employees was low. This was the first time that Seth started to wonder if his obsession with power was worth the price it was costing the people who once admired him. At the same time, the lovers came back from the trip refreshed and even more united than before. They were willing to start over again as a couple and left behind all the chaos that they have experienced. That was when Phoebe realized that she needed to go all the way and give her best shot to the dream she had for the future, be it in her life or at the workplace. When she came back to Chroma Creative, she was surprised at what she saw there. The place which she used to recogni