A few years after her husband passed away, Laura made the decision to move into her parents’ old apartment in Miami. But she had barely settled in—only a month had passed—when someone from her past appeared at her doorstep. It was Nathan, her first love. Their past was clouded in mystery, and he had disappeared without explanation. Now, she was finally about to uncover the shocking truth behind his vanishing.
Just one month ago, 78-year-old Laura had taken a leap and relocated to the Miami apartment once owned by her parents. They had purchased the property when they retired many years earlier, and she inherited it after their passing. However, Laura had built her entire life in Durham, North Carolina, and for decades, the apartment had served merely as a family vacation home.
She had considered moving there after her husband, Charles, died six years earlier, but life had gotten in the way. Her daughter, Melissa, had just given birth to her first child, and Laura couldn’t bear the thought of leaving them behind. Still, the Miami apartment stayed in the back of her mind.
When Melissa announced she was pregnant with her second child, Laura saw an opportunity. Not wanting her daughter and son-in-law to drown in debt while searching for a bigger home, she made them a heartfelt offer: they could have her family house. It was spacious enough for a growing family and located in a highly rated school district.
Melissa had countless fond memories of growing up there and accepted immediately.
“Are you sure you don’t want to live with us? The house has plenty of room,” Melissa asked after hearing that Laura planned to move to Miami.
“Yes, sweetheart. You need your space, and I need mine. That apartment has been empty far too long, and it’s just right for someone my age. And I miss the beach—a warm beach,” Laura answered with a smile, nodding and patting her daughter’s shoulder.
Packing up her life and moving wasn’t easy, but Laura quickly fell in love with Miami again. She was also thrilled that Melissa and her family would be free from paying rent or carrying a mortgage, since the house was fully paid off.
Each morning, Laura would sit on the balcony, basking in the gentle sun, enjoying the salty sea breeze. Some doctors may warn that too much sun is bad for the skin, but for her, it was soul-healing. She couldn’t have been more at peace with her choice.
Then, one afternoon, as she was preparing herself a simple sandwich with chips for lunch, the doorbell rang. She removed her apron and went to answer it, expecting perhaps her chatty neighbor, Mrs. Cardigan, who loved to drop by unannounced.
But it wasn’t her neighbor.
Laura’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped in disbelief. Standing in front of her was Nathan—her first love. And if she were being completely honest, the one true love of her life. Though she had deeply loved her husband, Charles, memories of Nathan had stayed with her throughout the years, always lingering in the background of her heart. He had left a permanent mark.
They had met in their 20s, and while many might scoff at young love, theirs had felt like something out of a novel—passionate, thrilling, unforgettable. But it had also been chaotic. Volatile, even. Some might call it toxic. But Laura had been completely swept up in it.
One of the greatest challenges was Nathan’s mysterious nature. She knew very little about his background or family. He would often vanish without explanation—sometimes for days, other times for weeks or months. He always avoided questions about it, and eventually, Laura had stopped asking.
Then one day, Nathan walked out of her apartment with a smile—and that was the last time she ever saw him. She waited. And waited. But with no way to contact him and no word, a year passed, and Laura finally forced herself to move on. She met Charles, fell in love, and got married. Nathan became a memory.
Yet here he was, standing before her after all these years, as if no time had passed. Her mind raced with questions.
How did he find me in Miami? What does he want? Does he think we’re still in our 20s? Can he really just show up like this?
Finally, Nathan broke the silence. “Hey, Laura. How are you?”
“‘Hey’? It’s been more than fifty years, Nathan. Why are you here? How did you find me?” she asked, stunned, her voice sharp with disbelief.
“I know. I want to explain everything. Will you let me in?” he asked, flashing that familiar crooked smile—the one that still somehow made her heart flutter. His face was aged now, wrinkled, dotted with sunspots, and he stood with a slight hunch. But he was still… Nathan. Just Nathan.
“Fine. Come in,” she relented, crossing her arms as she stepped aside.
Once seated, he asked, “How have you been all these years?”
“I don’t have time for small talk, Nathan. I want answers. Real ones. I remember how you avoided my questions back then. So either talk now, or leave,” Laura snapped, sitting across from him, arms still tightly crossed.
“Okay… this isn’t easy,” Nathan sighed. “Back then, my parents didn’t want me dating anyone. When I turned 20, they arranged for me to marry the daughter of one of their wealthy friends. I didn’t want it. I faked it. I fell for you, Laura. But I knew they would disapprove.”
Laura’s mouth dropped open once more as he continued.
“Whenever I disappeared, I was with her—Kiara. She loved to travel and was incredibly demanding. But I always came back to you.”
“Until the last time. I waited for a year, Nathan. I waited for you,” Laura said emotionally, her voice trembling. “All while you were cheating on me.”
“No! I wasn’t cheating!” he protested. “It wasn’t romantic. I never even held her hand. She knew I didn’t want the arrangement, but Kiara forced my time and attention. If I refused, she threatened to tell my parents about you—and that would’ve made life hard for you.”
Laura stared at him. She wanted to be angry, but he sounded sincere.
“Then why didn’t you come back for good? What happened during that year?” she asked, her voice softer now.
“That year was chaos. I was finishing college, my father got me a major internship, and Kiara started planning a wedding I didn’t want. I was stuck. And then Kiara died in a car accident. That made things worse. I helped her parents grieve—since they thought I was her fiancé—and once I felt I could, I went back to you.”
“But I never saw you,” Laura replied quietly.
“I went to your house one day—and you were with another man. I didn’t know who he was, but I figured it was too late. I kept coming by for a month, but he was always there. So I walked away. Later, I heard you got married.”
“Yes, that man was Charles—my late husband,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“My condolences,” Nathan replied sincerely.
“What now?” Laura asked, her brow raised.
“I don’t know. I just wanted to explain. Maybe we could become friends again?” he offered.
“How did you even find me here in Miami?” she asked, still trying to piece it all together.
“I moved here in my 30s. I never had a family of my own. After losing you and everything that happened with Kiara, I just… couldn’t. About 20 years ago, I saw your parents out walking. I found out where they lived and hoped you might show up one day. When they passed, I noticed the apartment stayed empty, so I waited.”
Laura was speechless. Nathan had never married. Never had children. And he had quietly waited—for more than 20 years—just in case she came.
“Would you like a sandwich, Nathan?” she finally asked, breaking the tension.
From that day forward, Nathan started visiting her daily. At first, it was just two old friends catching up. They talked about everything and anything. But slowly, the connection they had once shared began to rekindle. The love never truly died—it was just waiting to be reignited.
Like a candle in the dark, all it needed was a spark.