Illusion

"When the heart wants someone to stay beside us, even success isn't enough to make us feel okay. But the betrayals we receive from our close ones make it hard to find another or fall in love again."

Killian Brunner, the CEO of Rain & Forest Limited, sat alone in his high-rise office, his face a mask of peaceful sorrow.

Behind him, the city of Paris sprawled out, bathed in the soft glow of late-night streetlights and the gentle shimmer of building lights.

His office was on the 18th floor of a building over 20 stories tall, providing a stunning view of the cityscape.

The office, predominantly beige and white, exuded a sophisticated allure.

A nameplate on his desk announced his position: "Killian Brunner, CEO." In front of him stood an impressive bookshelf, and to his left, a neatly arranged collection of files and documents.

The room's elegant decor and serene ambiance contrasted sharply with the turmoil in Killian's heart, a testament to the complexity of success and personal pain.

In the era of 1997, Killian Brunner was anonymously hailed as a king of France. That year, his company saved many lives, rescuing those trapped in the forest for various reasons, whether it was due to cutting trees or natural disasters.

His company provided essential services for people stranded in forests and helped many survive and find safe shelter during floods. From a very young age, Killian had a dream, and he had already accomplished it.

Many news and media outlets knew him, but his reserved personality kept him from showing his face in public.

He never wanted fame based on his appearance; he wanted to be renowned for his work. He desired that everyone know his name without knowing him personally.

Nowadays, his name was growing everywhere. But Killian rarely thought about it. He believed that life was not inherently exciting; it had its ups and downs.

He felt that we should keep our lives moving forward without taking breaks for excitement because when excitement leads to the worst places, we won't know until it's too late.

As an introverted person, he always preferred to stay away from most people.

Despite his desire to stay away from people, he couldn't stop himself from falling in love.

He thought that stopping oneself from falling in love was an easy task until it happened to him. 'Lana,' his girlfriend, changed everything.

A girl who had stolen his heart in every way, Lana was the epitome of acceptance and love. She never judged Killian by his achievements or shortcomings, and she made him believe that true love existed, although one had to be fortunate enough to find it.

She provided him every reason to fall in love, even as he had been trying to keep his distance. Killian's life was going perfectly.

With a flourishing business, a supportive girlfriend with a pure heart, ample sleep, and a perfect family backing him in every endeavor, Killian often marveled at his own good fortune.

In moments of reflection, he found it hard to believe how seamlessly his life was unfolding.

It's often surprising when people find themselves with everything they ever wanted, more so than it is exhilarating.

Lana was his dream girl, the kind of person anyone would desire. Yet, she had chosen him, and for that, Killian was both happy and deeply grateful.

But today, out of the blue, Lana called him and spoke with an unsettling directness.

She wanted to break up. Their five-year relationship, which had seemed so unshakable, was ending.

She wanted it to end now. Killian was blindsided. The perfect life he had been living suddenly felt like a fragile illusion.

The supportive girlfriend he had cherished and depended on was now leaving, and the foundation of his happiness was shaking.

He had always thought of Lana as his partner for life, the one who completed his world.

Now, he was grappling with the harsh reality of her departure. As he sat in his office, overlooking the twinkling lights of Paris, Killian felt a profound emptiness. The city that had always seemed so vibrant now felt hollow.

He had built a life of success and stability, but without Lana, it all felt meaningless.

The calm ambiance of his office, the organized bookshelf, and the meticulously arranged documents could not distract him from the turmoil in his heart.

Killian wasn't sad but he was surprised by Lana's action because he remembered how she always promised him to stay by his side and marry him.

She clearly didn't care about his name or how much money he had, or if he was "Killian Brunner" or not. If she will care about it perhaps break-up won't happened between them.

Killian didn't know how many times he questioned her about why she wanted to break up, but she answered only one thing, and that was,

— "I really don't love you anymore!"

Anymore? That meant at least she had loved him at some point. Lana didn't sound irritated by Killian's questions; rather, she was trying to answer as much as possible.

Killian felt like he had been flying high, but after hearing Lana's words today, all of his wings had been cut badly, and now he was about to fall to the ground. Then he heard,

— "It's better to say goodbye than to try to continue it without my wish. Also, you can't love someone all your life. Perhaps I am your first love, but it really doesn't matter. True love happens when, after falling for someone, you won't be able to fall again."

Killian was stopped in his tracks by Lana's words. He really didn't know how to react to them. Then again, he heard the sweet voice that used to be sweet but was not anymore.

— "That's what love is, and in this whole world, first love, second love dosen't exist. Only one true love exists. I believe you will also fall for someone who will make you feel that all your previous loves were just examples or trials in your life. She will be your real love."

Killian didn't hear anything because his mind had stopped working.

Neither did he realize that she had spoken further nor could he listen to anything. He had planned his whole life with Lana.

For the past five years, he had been planning it, and he couldn't even think of spending his life without her. In every plan, Lana was the first consideration.

He didn't know how to describe his feelings in that moment. His head felt dizzy, and that's when he realized that even sitting in a high building in a luxurious office cabin, nothing could make his heart rest in peace the way Lana could so easily.

His life seemed purposeless. He felt numb, questioning why everything had ended up like this.

If its end was destined to be bitter, why was its beginning so beautiful?

Destiny had played with him so badly. Killian wasn't moving.

He was just sitting, gazing at the ceiling. He remembered when he proposed to Lana and she took a week to reply.

During that time, he would always stare at the ceiling, and now she wanted to break up, and again, he was looking at the ceiling.

It had been more than ten hours since Lana called him. In the dim light, Killian's face wasn't very visible, just his dark hair and soft brown eyes standing out.

Office hours had already ended, but Killian was still sitting there. It's hard to get over someone you loved deeply.

For those who said that boys dosen't have feelings and never fall for someone, what was going on with Killian?

He wondered if Lana could forget all the memories they had shared so easily. Lana was both his strength and his weakness.

He didn't know if he should be happy that she left him, now free of any weakness, or if he should feel bitter about the fact that his strength left him along with her. Killian was motionlessly staring at the ceiling.

His personal assistant had called him more than five times to return home, but he refused and sent the assistant away instead.

He gradually got up from the chair and started to walk towards a picture of Lana placed beside a lamp. As he approached, his face became more visible.

Whiskey Brown-Deep Eyes

Silky hair set perfectly

Sharp jawline.

Bronzed complexion.

Pale expression

His eyes were like deep poetry, understandable only by those who think with their hearts. Killian was the epitome of a perfect man in the '90s.

He was undeniably handsome. He glanced at the photo frame and then picked it up, examining it closely.

Pain filled his eyes as he stared at the picture, unable to believe what had transpired.

In the photograph, Lana wasn't looking at the camera; her gaze was directed to the left. It was a black and white picture.

Her ponytail draped over her shoulder, and her face was partially visible in a black dress.

She looked stunningly beautiful. His gaze lingered on her, as if seeing her for the first time.

~"If you fall for someone, no matter how many times you look at that person, every time feels like the first time."

Whoever said this was absolutely right. He had looked at her more times than he could count, yet each time felt like the first.

Killian didn't know if he could ever stop feeling this overwhelming sensation.

It's really hard to move on from a love that used to be your life. As he glanced at the time and the location noted in the frame, Killian uttered those lines in a hushed, husky tone.

— "20th February; HJ Street, Amsterdam!"

Killian suddenly remembered that Lana had gone to the Netherlands in February for a company trip.

Flashbacks flooded his mind, recalling how Lana had shared every detail of her trip with him, especially about a café located on HJ Street, renowned for its beautiful settings.

She had mentioned the name of the café, "Cafe Wabi-Sabi; Start From The End!" He remembered it vividly because Lana had praised the café so much.

She had even mentioned wanting to visit it again, but this time with Killian.

The memory of her excitement and her desire to share that experience with him was bittersweet.

Though it couldn't happen now, the recollection of her words and her enthusiasm lingered in his mind, a poignant reminder of what once was and what could never be.