A brewing storm

The elevator came to a stop with a soft ding, breaking the chain of Sam's haunting thoughts. His eyes, dark with unresolved emotions, stared ahead as the doors slid open. The office building felt colder somehow, its familiar structure now tinged with an unfamiliar weight that settled deep in his chest. He stood there, unmoving, watching as the hallway stretched before him, but his mind was trapped in the swirling chaos of the past.

Cindy's rejection still rang in his ears, her words slicing through him like a knife. *Not now, not ever.* He could hear the finality in her voice, feel the sharp edge of her refusal. She had made her choice, and it was Alexander. It had always been Alexander. No matter how much he tried to fight it, to change it, to prove himself worthy, Cindy had never wavered.