For me, heartbreak hadn’t come as a slow unraveling, but as a single, shattering moment.
Tears spilled over instantly.
The emotions I had been suppressing all this time tore through me, raw and unbearable.
Clutching the ring in my palm, I pressed my fist against my chest, pounding over my heart, trying to dull the unbearable ache
spreading through me.
I could hardly breathe.
The passenger beside me panicked, quickly flagging down a flight attendant.
She held onto my trembling shoulders, concern written all over her face. “Miss, are you alright? Do you need to get off the
plane?”
I couldn’t speak.
I could only shake my head over and over, waving my hand weakly.
But God, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
After leaving the airport, Noah drove straight to Chloe’s apartment.
He slowly pushed open the familiar door, stepping into the quiet space that once felt like home.
Everything was exactly as she had left it.
Yet, an unbearable emptiness clung to the air, pressing down on him with every breath.
His gaz
drifted across the living room, landing on the couch where they had once curled up together, watching movies.
He could almost hear her laughter again.
“Noah, this actor is hilarious! I swear, I’m going to end up with abs from laughing so much!”
2/3
+15 BONUS
In the bedroom, her hairbrush still sat on the vanity, strands of her hair tangled in the bristles.
“Noah, help me brush my hair, will you?”
And the bed–where they had once fallen asleep in each other’s arms.
Every morning, she would wake up wrapped in his embrace, pressing her face into his chest with a sleepy smile.
“Noah, how many kids do you think we’ll have in the future? At least two, right? An older son and a younger daughter, so the older boy can protect his sister.”
Memories that once held warmth now pierced through him like a thousand tiny needles, embedding themselves deep in his chest.
His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor.
Curling in on himself, he clenched his fist around the watch Chloe had left behind.
Tears spilled freely, soaking through the fabric of his shirt.
A strangled, broken sob tore from his throat, his entire body trembling as if the pain was physically crushing him.
And at that moment, he could barely breathe.
