Beneath the Olive Tree

The sun was setting over the hills of Southern Italy, casting long golden shadows between the rows of ancient olive trees.

Ellie Carter sat alone on the wooden bench outside the old cottage, her suitcase beside her, untouched. The warm breeze carried the scent of rosemary and dust, and somewhere in the distance, a dog barked once, then silence.

She had run far from the chaos of the city — from the betrayal, from the noise, from him.

This small forgotten village wasn’t on any tourist map. It wasn’t meant to be a place of healing. But the quiet… the stillness… it was the only thing that didn’t hurt.

And she didn’t know it yet, but beneath the twisting limbs of those olive trees, love was waiting — in the form of a man with rough hands, dark eyes, and a heart more broken than her own.