Life in the orphanage wasn’t easy, but Maddie found solace in Rico’s unwavering protection. The staff tried their best and occasionally, donors would visit, bringing toys or supplies. But with so many children and limited resources, fights and bullying were common.
Whenever Maddie was teased or cornered, Rico would appear, fierce and unrelenting, to defend her. Over time, no one dared to bother her anymore.
As the years passed, Rico became her rock, her safe place. But somewhere along the way, things changed. The warmth between them faded, replaced by a distance Maddie couldn’t understand.
She couldn’t pinpoint when Rico began to drift away. All she knew was that the boy who once promised to protect her was now a man whose heart belonged to someone else.
***
Maddie sat beneath the golden ginkgo tree outside their shared apartment complex, her gaze fixed on the balcony of the 23rd floor. The plants and flowers on that balcony were her pride and joy—each one nurtured with care. But soon, they wouldn’t be hers anymore. Perhaps they never truly had been.
As the midday sun burned her skin, Maddie let her tears fall freely. She reached up to wipe them away, only to be interrupted by the buzz of her phone. A message from her editor appeared on the screen:
[Maddie, why didn’t you update yesterday? The readers are begging for the next chapter. You can’t miss another deadline!]
She stared at the message for a long moment before typing a curt reply.
[Okay.]
Standing with a wince, Maddie limped toward the elevator. Writing had always been her escape. Her current novel—a story of two children who grew up relying on each other—mirrored her own life in many ways. But unlike her story, the heroine in the novel was the one who saved the boy and the boy had fallen in love with her.
***
At her desk, Maddie opened her laptop and pulled up the comments section beneath her latest chapter.
[Maddie, when will the two of them finally get together? I can’t take the suspense anymore!]
[Please don’t break my heart. Let them be happy. They deserve it.]
[Don’t let the hero leave with his real parents. The heroine needs him!]
[If you write a sad ending, I swear I’ll send you a razor blade!]