Chapter 1

Every love story begins with two strangers.

Mine started on an ordinary morning.

The alarm rang, but I didn’t want to get up. I stared out the window, watching people rush through another ordinary day while I sat there wondering if life would always feel this empty.

Wake up. Work. Eat. Sleep.

The same routine repeated every single day.

Nothing exciting ever happened.

That night, I was lying on my bed, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram like I always did. Hundreds of faces passed by with a swipe of my thumb, until suddenly one picture made me stop.

She was smiling.

Not the kind of smile people force for a photograph.

It looked warm.

Real.

For some reason, I couldn’t scroll anymore.

I opened her profile.

There were photos of books, rainy afternoons, sunsets, coffee, and random moments of her life. Every picture carried the same beautiful smile.

Without realizing it, I smiled too.

“Who is she…?”

I didn’t know her.

She didn’t know me.

But something about her made my heart beat a little faster.

I hesitated for several minutes before pressing the Follow button.

Then came the harder part.

Should I send her a message?

What if she ignored me?

What if she thought I was weird?

I almost closed the app.

Instead, I typed one simple word.

Hi.

I took a deep breath and pressed Send.

I had no idea that one message would completely change my life.

A few minutes later…

My phone vibrated.

“Hello.”

That was it.

One word.

Yet somehow, it felt like the beginning of something special.

We started talking.

Minutes turned into hours.

Hours turned into an entire night.

We talked about movies, music, dreams, childhood memories, embarrassing stories, our fears, and everything in between.

For the first time in years, I felt like someone actually understood me.

Days slowly became weeks.

Weeks became months.

Every morning started with her “Good morning.”

Every night ended with “Sleep well.”

One night she texted,

“Goodnight, stranger.”

I smiled before replying,

“Goodnight… my favorite person.”

She sent a heart.

That tiny heart somehow made my whole day.

Soon our chats became voice calls.

Voice calls became video calls.

Sometimes we would stay connected for hours without saying anything.

Just seeing each other was enough.

Distance didn’t matter anymore.

Different screens.

Same heart.

One evening, while laughing during a video call, she suddenly looked at me and said,

“You actually understand me.”

I looked away, feeling embarrassed.

“I think… I’m falling for you.”

There was silence for a moment.

Then she smiled.

“I feel the same.”

“I love you.”

Those words changed everything.

From that day on, we weren’t just strangers talking online.

We were in love.

People told us online relationships never lasted.

We didn’t care.

Love wasn’t measured by distance.

It was measured by effort.

We dreamed about meeting one day.

Going on dates.

Watching sunsets together.

Cooking together.

Living together.

Building a future.

Our future.

Months later, that dream finally came true.

I sat inside a train, unable to stop smiling.

She kept texting me every few minutes.

“Are you here yet?”

“Almost.”

“I’m nervous.”

“Me too.”

When the train stopped, I stepped onto the platform.

There she was.

Standing beneath the station sign.

She looked even more beautiful than she did through the phone screen.

For a few seconds neither of us moved.

Then she laughed.

“You took long enough.”

I laughed too.

The distance between us disappeared as we hugged for the first time.

It felt like home.

The days that followed became the happiest days of my life.

We explored the city together.

Shared ice cream.

Watched sunsets.

Took endless selfies.

Created memories that neither of us wanted to forget.

Eventually we decided to move in together.

The apartment was small.

The rent was expensive.

The furniture didn’t match.

But it was ours.

We decorated it together.

Cooked together.

Burned food together.

Stayed awake talking until sunrise.

Fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Life finally felt complete.

But happiness doesn’t always stay forever.

Money became a problem.

Work became stressful.

Bills kept increasing.

Both of us were exhausted.

Small arguments slowly became bigger ones.

“You never listen.”

“You always blame me.”

“I’m trying.”

“So am I.”

The words became sharper.

More painful.

Neither of us wanted to hurt each other.

Yet somehow…

We did.

One evening she called her best friend.

“I don’t know anymore,” she whispered.

“I’m tired.”

Her friend replied,

“You deserve better.”

Those words never left my mind.

Maybe she really did deserve someone better than me.

I began writing down every negative thought I had.

“Maybe I’m the problem.”

“Maybe she’d be happier without me.”

“Maybe love isn’t enough.”

The more I thought about it…

The more I believed it.

Then one rainy evening…

She packed her bag.

I froze.

“What are you doing?”

She couldn’t even look into my eyes.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Everything around me suddenly felt silent.

I grabbed her hand.

“Please…”

“I’ll change.”

“I promise.”

She cried too.

“I’m sorry.”

“But I can’t keep living like this.”

She walked toward the door.

I begged.

I apologized.

I promised everything.

But sometimes promises come too late.

The door closed.

She was gone.

The apartment became unbearably quiet.

Her favorite mug was still on the table.

Her sweater still hung on the chair.

Her scent still filled every room.

But she wasn’t there.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

I stopped eating properly.

Stopped answering calls.

Stopped caring about anything.

One rainy afternoon I sat beside the window, watching her walk away in my memories.

Tears rolled down my face.

“Why does it hurt so much when all I ever did was love her?”

There was no answer.

Only rain.

Finally…

I packed my bag.

Maybe leaving everything behind would make the pain disappear.

As I wandered through an old abandoned alley, something shiny caught my attention.

A strange golden lamp lay beneath the dust.

It looked ancient.

Beautiful.

Almost magical.

“What is this…?”

I picked it up.

Without thinking…

I rubbed it.

Nothing happened.

Then suddenly…

A brilliant blue light exploded from the lamp.

The wind roared.

The ground shook.

The entire alley was covered in glowing blue flames that didn’t burn.

I stood frozen in fear.

A mysterious voice echoed through the light.

“At your darkest moment…”

”…your final wish has awakened.”

— End of Chapter 1 —

Next Chapter: The Last Wish.

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