A CHANCE ENCOUNTER

Sometimes life gives us these moments—not to test us, but to show us how much we’ve grown. Seeing him again didn’t break me. It didn’t shake me. It reminded me that healing isn’t loud. It’s quiet. It’s walking away with grace. It’s choosing yourself, again and again.

I saw my ex along the street,  

Hoped our eyes would never meet.  

Causeway Bay was loud and bright,  

But my heart sank out of sight.  

I looked away, kept walking fast,  

Trying to leave behind the past.  

But then I heard a voice so clear

“Hello, Mari. How are you, dear?”  

I turned around, my heart a race,  

He wore that same familiar face.  

A smile with mischief in his eyes,  

The kind that once had felt like skies.

He was the manager, sharp and proud,  

I was his secretary, hates in the crowd.  

Coffee breaks and stolen glances,  

Late-night talks and risky chances.  

He’d call me “star,” I’d call him “sir,”  

Our lines would blur, then reoccur.  

We danced between the rules and roles,  

Until the cracks consumed us whole.  

A fight. A silence. A final call.  

He left. I broke. And that was all.

Why now? Why here, in Hong Kong’s maze?  

Why this street, this time, this phase?  

Why today, when I’m not ready  

To face this man who left me unsteady?  

He changed my life, then walked away,  

Left me in shadows, led astray.  

A prisoner of what used to be,  

Of fears that still won’t set me free.  

I smiled politely, lips unsure,  

My heart replaying every blur.  

He asked again, “You look the same.”  

I laughed, “Except for the flame.”

He spoke his work and travel, too,  

Of things he’s done, of skies he flew.  

I nodded, played the part with grace,  

While memories danced behind my face.  

He didn’t ask about the pain,  

The nights I cried in summer rain.  

He didn’t say, “I’m sorry, love.”  

Just small talk, and a gentle shove  

Back into the world we used to know

But I had changed. I’d let it go.

I walked away, my steps unsure,  

But lighter than I’d felt before.  

He was the storm, but I survived.  

I lost myself, but now I’ve arrived.  

No longer bound by what was near,  

I’ve faced the past, released the fear.  

I’m not the girl who used to wait—  

I’ve built a life, I’ve changed my fate.  

So if you ask what happened then,  

I saw a ghost, and found a friend—  

Not in him, but deep inside,  

Where strength and peace and truth reside.  

But maybe now, I’ll break the chain,  

Face the past, release the pain.  

No longer bound by what was near—  

It’s time to rise beyond the fear.

A chance encounter, nothing more,  

But now I walk through open doors.

And if you’ve ever had a moment like this—where the past suddenly stands in front of you—know this: you don’t owe it anything. Not your peace. Not your progress. Not your power.

You’ve already come so far.  

Let that be enough.

As a reminder to myself.

I walked away. Not with bitterness, but with peace.  

A chance encounter, yes.  

But also a quiet victory.

About the Author 

Hi, I’m Mari Felices. I write about love, heartbreak, and the quiet lessons life teaches us along the way. My words are pieces of my soul—sometimes poetic, sometimes raw, but always honest. If even one person finds comfort in my story, then my writing has done its purpose.