At first, their love was everything the vow had promised. Joel built a small home on the outskirts of the village, and Lina turned it into a warm haven. They grew their own food, laughed often, and lay in each other's arms under the stars.
But time has a way of dulling even the brightest fires. A drought came, crops withered, and Joel took odd jobs in the nearby town. There, he met Amina—the merchant's daughter. She was everything Lina wasn't: bold, mysterious, wealthy.
Joel tried to resist. At first.
Then came the nights he didn't come home. The excuses. The silence.
Lina waited, praying each time she heard footsteps that it would be Joel, returning with apologies and open arms. One evening, when the sun had dipped low and the shadows had grown long, he finally returned.
"Where have you been?" she asked.
Joel didn't meet her gaze. "Lina... we were just kids. That promise... it was a childish game."
Her heart shattered in her chest. "You think the river thought it was a game?"
He didn't answer. He turned and left.