Finally the first day of the trial arrived and Nina woke with a knot in her stomach. Her lawyer said the proceedings could go on for a while, and the open endedness of it all made her feel like she was drifting in a current directed by everyone but herself.

To make it all worse, she had to say goodbye to Bo that morning, not knowing when she would be able to see him again.

The previous day had been bittersweet, but not knowing where the current would take her, it was hard to nurture their relationship. There was nothing she could promise him, no future to offer, no dreams believable enough to sustain them.

Of course it was also the first day of her period – when had the universe ever made it easier on her?

She put on her business suit and after checking her reflection one last time, made her way to the town center. It was early, the sky was gloomy, the streets empty. It was exactly the time between the street cleaners finishing their job of emptying the trash cans and people making their way to work. Her steps echoed on the asphalt in the quietness, interrupted only occasionally with a seagull's cry.

Bo was sitting on the empty terrace in front of his hotel, watching a waitress drying the chairs from the dampness that had accumulated overnight, preparing them for the first customers bound to arrive soon.

He smiled a slow smile when he saw Nina approach, but she was unable to return it, as the possibility of this being the last time she saw him kept creeping into her mind.

Without saying a word she walked into his arms and pressed her cheek to his neck.

"I wish you didn't have to go," she said, knowing she couldn't ask him to stay.

"Me too. I hate to leave you now with everything that's coming your way." He stroked her back. She saw an acquaintance of her mother's making her way across the town square. The woman noticed them and was scrutinizing them mercilessly. Nina didn't care. Her heart was sinking and she gave up on trying to keep it afloat.

"Where is Anan?" she asked into his chest.

"He's bringing the car around. Should be here soon." He took hold of her shoulders and made her look into his eyes. "I need you to promise me one thing."

"Anything," she said, happy there was something she could do for him.

"Promise me you will fight this with everything you've got. And every time you just think about giving up, I want you to call me so I can talk you out of it. Alright?"

Nina laughed. He was reading her mind. The thought of settling the trial was ever prevalent. With the knowledge she now had about the possible length the proceedings might take, she kept coming back to the prospect of ending it all just by giving up a part of the money her father left her. It seemed such a small price to pay for peace.

She took in a big breath. "Ok," she said finally, deciding at that moment that she would honor the promise. "But you need to promise me something in return."

His eyebrows twitched. "Alright, what is it?"

"Next time I see your work exhibited, I want to see your name next to it."

Bo looked over her shoulder to the sea, thinking. Nina was glad to notice he didn't take promises lightly.

"Alright, I think I can do that. I have a few ideas I wouldn't mind putting my name behind, especially if they turn out the way I envisioned them."

Anan had just then driven up to them and parked the car next to the curb.

"That's my ride," Bo said, kissing her softly. "I am waiting for you in Bangkok, take your time, but hurry up," he said to her ear as Anan approached and joined in the hug.

"We need to hurry guys, or that plane will leave without us," he warned.

"Nina, thanks for having us. I will never forget the Arena. And if you take too long to come back, know that I do know your address now and will not hesitate to come back here and drag you back with me."

Nina couldn't help laughing. Despite the gloomy situation, she was happy about the friendship she made with Anan.

"Don't worry my man, I am eager to wrap things up around here. I'll be back in no time," she said, as if making a wish.

As she watched them drive off, she kept her eyes on the rearview mirror where she saw Bo's face, concentrated and calm. Then he noticed her looking at him and flashed her a confident smile that made her tingle all the way down to her toes.

She stood there for a few more minutes but as the square gradually became busy with people, she made her way back home. It was battle day, but she felt like she had never been less willing to fight in her life.

Three hours later, however, she was entering the courthouse. Luana was with her, and she squeezed her arm in an effort to provide some comfort. The courtroom was small, and Nina was surprised to see it looked very much like a common office, and nothing like the movies. There was only the judge present when Nina and Luana entered it, but soon, her mother and sister were there, accompanied by their lawyer, who looked stern and daunting.

It was almost time for the trial to start and her own lawyer still wasn't there. The feeling of being David and her mother the Goliath intensified. Luana whispered words of encouragement but she barely heard them. She wasn't ready for this. Why was she forced into doing grown up stuff? She felt deeply inadequate and almost ridiculous. Suddenly she had no idea how she would be able to speak if anyone asked her to.

Luckily, her lawyer showed up in time, and she remembered that today was all about setting up the case and both the lawyers giving opening statements. Not even half an hour later it was all over and she breathed with relief when the judge dismissed them. Still, knowing the whole ordeal was something she would be required to repeat multiple times made her spirit plummet.

She went to sleep late that night, knowing full well it would be a hard one. She managed to fall asleep out of mere exhaustion, but woke up at about two am, anxious and lonely. How on earth was she supposed to go through months of trial? Seeing her mother regularly definitely wasn't something she looked forward to. Besides, she needed to get back to Bangkok as soon as possible to work on her contract with Sombat. She couldn't afford to be wasting time in Croatia.

Her dark thoughts spiraling, Nina felt insecure about every aspect of her life, her newly developing relationship especially. Bo made a really big gesture by coming to Croatia to see her but that wasn't going to happen again any time soon, and if she was unable to go to Bangkok, it seemed to her unlikely the relationship would survive. They did share a pretty meaningful conversation while he was there but Nina knew how hard long distance relationships were, especially ones that were in the developing stage.

Thinking back to Sombat and her business, if she didn't manage to go back soon, she might be able to forfeit it altogether, making her broke among other problems. Being broke meant she would have to stay in her hometown for the foreseeable future, and Nina realized that was out of the question. She craved the freedom of Bangkok, the possibilities and even the heat. The weather was turning cold in Rovinj, and she realized she wasn't ready for it.

An hour before dawn, when the darkness coming in from the windows started to seem more suffocating and menacing than she could handle, Nina realized she was not going to be able to sleep anymore and took out her journal. She hadn't been writing regularly, it was the last resort she turned to in desperate times. When her world seemed to be falling into itself, writing in her journal was the only thing that helped ease the pain and anxiety. She turned on the little bedside lamp and spent a good half an hour writing. Then she went through older entries, reading. It had been a while since she'd last done it, and was surprised by how lonely and miserable her life prior to going to Bangkok had been. In the last few months, while she met Chompoo, Bo and Emmi, Nina realized she must have been happy. There were no entries in her diary, and she rarely thought about the past. Also, the insomnia with which she battled so often back home, hadn't followed her across the world.

When the red light of dawn started to fill the room, Nina felt her soul quiet down. She knew exactly what she needed to do.