Undying Wish

Rain lashed against the penthouse windows, blurring the neon tapestry of the city below. Ava, perched on the edge of the rooftop balcony, barely noticed. The once-tepid coffee in her hand had grown cold, forgotten as she traced the jagged scar along her forearm – a constant reminder of the life she'd left behind.



At 38, Ava had it all. A sculpted physique honed from years of relentless training, cascading dark hair that defied the city's grime, and a face that could launch a thousand ships. Even the designer silk of her pajamas couldn't disguise the coiled tension beneath her flawless exterior.



The past flickered behind her eyes – a montage of academic excellence, effortless popularity, and a picture-perfect fiance waiting at the altar. Life, it seemed, had unfolded according to a meticulously crafted script. Yet, a hollowness gnawed at her, a void no amount of success could fill. It was a dull ache, a yearning for something more, something she couldn't quite grasp.



Tonight, the ache was a roar. A single tear traced a path through the rain-streaked grime on her cheek. Ava wasn't the perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect fiancee anymore. She was adrift, unmoored from the life she'd built, desperate to find the missing piece that would finally silence the scream within.