Prologue

Months had passed since the time I still remembered what happened that day. And my heart, long numb, could no longer recall the highs and lows brought to it by your presence. Despite all that, I still hummed the melody of that song you dedicated to me.

You were special. You were my first — but also my second, my third, my fourth. And if I were to allow you, you could’ve been my last. But I didn’t let your number get past seventh. That was the end: my limit.

I could not call you kind; we both knew you weren’t agreeable. But neither had I been, and you accepted that, or at least, you made me believe so. For after all, it was your lies that broke us.

Us, two, used to be nothing but strangers. I somehow caught your interest, and you showered me with the attention I came to crave. And so, we tangoed in our conversations despite not intending to court the other.

By some chance, you fell. Or was it me?

This detail would not matter anymore, I think.

What truly mattered was the journey we went through. How did your stark darkness illuminate the void in me? When my heart, even when it was full of love for you, did not even reach the deep recesses of your abyss.

No theory of mine could ever be an accurate approximation of the truth you’ve hidden. The only clue you left lied in your serenade.