The sun was dipping low when their sandals rested in the warm sand. Seren and Theo laughed as they ran along the empty shoreline barefoot, laughter rising like music. It was their honeymoon — ten days away from noise, from deadlines, from the world. The island had been their escape. Seren ran towards the cliff, her heart pounding louder than the waves below. She turned to Theo, laughter in her voice, “Catch me, Theo!” Theo chased after her, their joy rising above the waves as they reached the edge of the cliff. For a moment, it felt like the world belonged to them until they noticed five masked men behind the rocks closing in from the dark shadows. “Phones, Jewelry, Wallets. Hand everything!” one of them yelled. They obeyed. They handed everything over, trembling. The gun fired. The only sound. One flash. Seren fell off the cliff with the wound on her shoulder, the water catching her like an open mouth in a single violent breath. Theo reached out — too late. She was gone…The waves carried her through cold water and darkness to an unknown, untouched island approximately fifty kilometers away. Seren opened her eyes to blinding sunlight. The air smelled of salt. For a long time, she didn't move. No voices. No sign of life. But it was the quietness that frightened her most. She glanced down at the wound where the bullet had brushed past her shoulder. Seren tore a strip from her dress and tied it tight around the bleeding spot. She was still alive —waiting and listening. She felt misplaced, a fish out of water, lost in a world that didn't belong to her. Night came slowly, wrapping the world in darkness. The stars above were countless, distant, and utterly cold. She pretended she wasn't scared but her eyes told a different story. Hours passed. Hungry and weak, she scanned the silent island. Just when hope began to fade, she saw fruit trees, as if the island offered her mercy. Coast guards, divers and Theo searched for her for 3 days. No body. No trace. The sound of that single gunshot haunted him. On the fourth morning, a coast guard claimed “ Movement spotted near a small uninhabited island. Approximately fifty kilometers west.” Theo's heart stopped. He immediately rushed towards the rescue boat before anyone could stop him. “ Please…” he whispered, staring at the horizon. “Let her be here.” As the boat drew closer, he saw movement near the shore — a small figure sitting in the sand. “That's her,” he breathed. Before the others could drop anchor, he jumped into the water. “Seren!” he screamed, running toward her. When Theo reached her, he hugged her so tightly that she gasped. She pulled herself back gently. She looked up at him with confusion. Her lips parted, “ I … know you?” Theo froze. “Seren,” he breathed. “It is me, Theo. Your husband.” “I don't think I know you,” Seren said quietly, as though apologizing for it. Theo's throat tightened. The guards arrived — voices shouting, wrapping her in warm blankets, guiding her gently toward the rescue boat. At the hospital, doctors moved quickly, whispering to one another as they examined her. After hours of waiting, a doctor approached Theo. “She's suffering from memory loss, possibly caused by stress, shock, or the near-death experience. She doesn't remember much of anything.” Theo froze. “But… she'll remember, right? In time?” The doctor whispered. “Sometimes memories return. Sometimes they don't.” Morning came. Theo brought coffee to her room, whispering her name softly before stepping inside. The bed was empty. Blankets folded. Seren was gone. The window open. Panic struck like lightning but there was no trace — no footprints, no note, nothing.

The final horn blew… The war was over, but the cost was beyond counting. It didn't feel like victory. Exhausted soldiers in torn uniforms with empty stares stood in silence. The guilt and grief of surviving were the heaviest burden on them all. So many friends were buried beneath the cold soil. Rafe stood frozen, not from fear or cold but from emptiness. He had lost everything: his family, his happiness, his hope… The only thought that kept him alive was to return to his hometown and reunite with his love, Ellis, who brought colour into Rafe's grey world. At dawn, Rafe packed what little he had left. He folded letters Ellis had written to him and put a small silver ring into his pocket - the one he had promised to propose to her when the war ended. He wondered if she was waiting for him or if she was even alive… Four days. Rafe walked with no sleep or rest. Not really. His coat was soaked through. His boots were torn, but nothing could stop him now. Finally, he approached the hill that overlooked his hometown. His heart pounded harder the closer he got to the town with every step. He whispered, “Please, let her be there.” The moment he saw the smoke, he froze. The town was nothing but ash and ruins. He ran even though his sore legs barely held him. Not a single soul remained. He wandered around the ruins and screamed her name. But there was no answer. Only silence. He just stood there, blinking as if trying to wake from a dream. Fifty years had passed. The war had been forgotten by the world, but not by him. Rafe, now an old man with grey hair and a walking stick, visited the ruins of what was once his hometown. The promise ring was still inside his coat. It had never belonged to anyone else because no one else ever felt right. He stood where her house used to be. He had nothing left except memories. At that moment, with the last hope still inside him, he whispered, “If you survived, I hope you found the reason to live and smile again. If you didn't survive, I hope your soul is waiting for me to meet again.”