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Since that fateful night when our eyes met for the first time, fate seemed determined to make us meet again and again, in the most unexpected corners of the city.
Each fortuitous encounter was laden with hushed words and glances that said it all, defying the shadow of the impossible that loomed over us.
He was the husband of a close friend, and I knew that what I felt was not only forbidden, but threatened to destroy far more than my own inner peace.
Still, the attraction was an unstoppable force, a whirlwind of emotions that swept us together without remorse.
One autumn afternoon, as the leaves fell around us like silent witnesses, the weight of our decisions caught up with us.
We were hidden in the shadows of the trees in the park, an ephemeral refuge that would soon crumble.
-This can't go on, and you know it,’ he said, -avoiding my gaze as a lone tear rolled down his cheek.
It was at that moment that something caught my attention: a flash of metal glinted through the nearby bushes.
Before I could react, a hooded figure emerged from the shadows, pointing a gun at us.
-Don't move, -commanded a distorted voice- Hand over your belongings and no one will get hurt.
Fear paralysed me, but he acted quickly. In an unexpected move, he lunged at the assailant, initiating a fierce melee.
They rolled on the ground, exchanging blows and grapples, until a shot ripped through the air.
A stony silence fell over the park. Both lay motionless, and for an instant, I feared the worst.
But then he slowly sat up, wielding the gun of the assailant, who lay unconscious at his feet.
-I know, - I finally replied, my voice trembling, -but I can't pretend this doesn't exist either.
He reached out to me, and the warmth of his skin against mine was both a comfort and a condemnation. Tangible proof that what we felt was real, beyond the lies we had told ourselves.
-We are cowards, trapped in our own lies, -he admitted ruefully.
The truth floated between us, heavy and immovable. But in that last moment of closeness, we both knew that the battle between desire and reality had taken an unexpected turn.
A deeper mystery was opening up before us, challenging our convictions and threatening to consume us completely.