When the Rain Found UsChapter One: The Girl Who Never Looked BackThe first rain of July always carried memories.For most people in the quiet town of Yei, it smelled of fresh soil, mango trees, and new beginnings. But for Marline Awuor, it smelled like goodbye.She stood outside the old bus station with a single brown suitcase beside her, watching the sky darken. The wind lifted the edges of her long black dress while people hurried past, trying to outrun the coming storm.She wasn’t crying.She had promised herself years ago that she would never cry over people who willingly walked away.At twenty-one, Marline had already learned that love could disappear overnight. Her father had abandoned their family when she was twelve. Her first love had chosen money over promises. Even her closest friends slowly faded into strangers.So she stopped believing in forever.She believed in survival.“Bus to Juba!” the conductor shouted.Marline picked up her suitcase and climbed aboard without looking back.She didn’t know that the decision would change her life forever.⸻Hundreds of kilometers away, Ethan Okello sat alone in the back seat of a black SUV.At twenty-seven, he was one of South Sudan’s youngest and most successful entrepreneurs. His construction company was worth millions, yet none of it brought him peace.His phone rang again.“Mum,” he answered.“You’re late for the engagement dinner.”“I’m not coming.”A heavy silence followed.“You cannot keep avoiding this,” his mother finally said. “The Akol family is waiting.”“I’m not marrying someone I don’t love.”“You don’t have a choice.”He ended the call.His driver glanced at him through the mirror.“Sir?”“Drive.”The black SUV sped into the rain.⸻Hours later…The highway had become almost invisible beneath the downpour.The bus Marline was riding slowed to avoid a fallen tree.Then—BANG!A tire exploded.Passengers screamed.The driver lost control.The bus skidded sideways before stopping only a few feet from a deep ditch.People rushed out into the rain.Marline stepped onto the muddy road, her heart racing.Headlights suddenly appeared through the storm.A black SUV pulled over.The rear door opened.A tall man in a charcoal suit stepped out, holding a large umbrella.Their eyes met.For a moment, the rain seemed to disappear.Neither of them spoke.Neither of them knew the other’s name.Yet something about that single glance felt strangely familiar…As if fate had been patiently waiting for this exact moment.Marline looked away first.She picked up her suitcase and started walking.Ethan watched her disappear into the rain.For reasons he couldn’t explain, he found himself hoping this wouldn’t be the last time he saw the girl who refused to ask for help.He had no idea…That she was about to become the greatest love—and the greatest challenge—of his life.