Clara finally looked away and walked toward an empty table, hoping to go unnoticed. But Lila followed closely, trying to comfort her.
“Listen, Clara, I know it hurts, but…”
Clara cut her off with a trembling voice. “Lila, stop. You can’t understand. He was everything to me.”
Lila nodded sadly. “Maybe… Maybe he wasn’t the one destined for you, Clara.”
Clara clenched her fists. “Then why? Why give me hope all these years?”
An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Clara sighed, watching the dance floor where he was laughing and dancing with his companion, oblivious to the pain he was causing.
Another friend, Alex, joined them. “Clara, are you okay? Do you want to get some fresh air?”
She nodded quietly, standing up. Lila and Alex accompanied her outside, away from the ballroom, away from the scene of her heartbreak. They stopped near the trees, in a quiet corner.
“What are you going to do now?” Alex asked after a moment.
Clara looked up at the moon, lost in thought. “I think… I’m going to leave.”
Lila frowned. “Leave? But, Clara, where would you go? And what about your pack?”