Chapter 3 — The Boy Who Waited

Chapter 3

The rain fell steadily over Lyria City, turning the streets into slick mirrors of neon lights. Outside the hospital, Adrian Hale paced beneath a battered umbrella, his eyes flicking toward the entrance every few seconds. His coat was soaked through, but he barely noticed. All he could think about was Elise.

Adrian (thinking): Where is she? She promised she’d tell me if something was wrong… she wouldn’t just disappear.

He glanced at his watch again. Sixty minutes. He had waited for an hour.

Then, a figure emerged from the sliding hospital doors, hunched and pale, hair plastered to her cheeks. Adrian’s heart lurched.

Adrian: “Elise! You didn’t show up. I waited for you for an hour.”

Elise paused, her shoulders trembling slightly as if the weight of the world pressed on her back.

Elise: “I’m sorry… I had a headache. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Adrian (voice rising, a mix of concern and frustration): “A headache? Elise, you’ve been canceling everything lately. Are you avoiding me?”

Elise forced a weak smile, hiding the nausea and exhaustion clawing at her chest.

Elise (thinking): If I tell him, he’ll panic. He’ll try to stop me. He’ll see me… broken.

Elise: “No… I just have a lot to do. I… I don’t want to burden anyone.”

Adrian stepped closer, gripping her wet hand. His voice softened, but the intensity remained.

Adrian: “Promise me you’ll tell me if something is wrong. Don’t hide from me. I want to be here for you.”

Elise’s lips trembled. She wanted to confide in him, to tell him everything—the tumor, the exhaustion, the endless running—but she couldn’t.

Elise (thinking): I can’t. I won’t.

Elise: “I promise.”

Inside, though, she whispered, unheard by anyone:

Elise (thinking): I can’t… I can’t let anyone catch me.

Adrian searched her face for any hint of deceit but found only the fragile mask she always wore.

Adrian: “I’m here, Elise. Always.”

Elise nodded, letting him hold her hand for a brief moment. Then she pulled away, glancing at the hospital entrance.

Elise (thinking): I have to go. I can’t stop. There’s too much to do.

---

Meanwhile, at home…

Leo sat on the edge of his bed, arms crossed, the guilt twisting in his chest.

Leo (thinking): She’s never here for me. Why is she always running?

His mother entered the room, tension in every step.

Mom: “Leo, stop staring at the clock. Elise knows what she’s doing. Don’t bother her.”

Leo’s frown deepened.

Leo (thinking): She’s running from them… but from me too.

---

Back at the hospital, Elise walked to the nearby bench outside, Adrian following a few steps behind, giving her space but never letting her out of his sight.

Adrian: “You’re trembling. Elise, what’s going on? You can tell me.”

Elise: “I’m fine. Really.” Her voice was soft, almost inaudible over the rain.

Adrian: “No, you’re not. I can see it. You’re hurting… and you’re hiding it from me. Why?”

Elise’s throat tightened. She could feel tears pricking her eyes.

Elise (thinking): If I tell him, I’ll have to stop running. And I can’t. Not yet. They need me. I need to keep moving.

Elise: “You’ll leave if I tell you.”

Adrian’s eyes widened.

Adrian: “I won’t leave. Not ever. I want to help you. Please… just let me in.”

Before Elise could respond, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen.

Leo (on phone): “Elise… Mom collapsed. We’re at the hospital. Hurry!”

Without thinking, she hung up.

Adrian: “Elise! Wait! Where are you going?”

She didn’t stop. Rain poured down, soaking her clothes as she ran through the streets, adrenaline and exhaustion mingling in her veins. Adrian sprinted after her, but he couldn’t keep pace with the girl who had been running all her life.

Adrian (thinking): Why is she always running from everyone? What is she hiding?

---

At the hospital, her mother lay in a bed, pale and trembling, a nurse hovering nearby.

Mom: “Elise… don’t make this about you. Just help me.”

Elise: “Yes, Mom…” She handed her mother the water cup, her chest tightening as she tried to steady her own breathing.

Elise (thinking): I run for them. Always for them. But who runs for me?

Adrian arrived shortly after, soaked and gasping, but Elise barely noticed him. Her attention was on her family—on her duties—on keeping everything together, even if it broke her from the inside.

Adrian (thinking): She’s hurting so much… and she won’t let me help. How can I reach her?

The rain fell harder, but Elise didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Not yet.

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