Giving Him Hope

Tears streamed down his face as he nodded, though he didn't feel convinced.

"I don't deserve your kindness, Lily. After everything I've done..."

Lily's eyes welled up with tears.

"I'm not doing this for you, Zared. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do. Because I don't want to see you throw your life away. You've made mistakes, but that doesn't mean everything is over. You have to believe that."

She stood up, pulling him gently to his feet.

"Now, let's get you home. You need rest, and you need to start thinking about how you're going to move forward."

As they walked away from the bridge, the weight of their shared past hung heavy between them. Zared's steps were unsteady, but he felt a glimmer of hope for the first time in a long while. He didn't know what the future held, but he knew he had to try.

Lily's heart ached as she guided him. She wished things could have been different, that he hadn't caused so much pain. But she also knew that she couldn't let him back in