Chapter 8: The Pain of a Broken Heart

The worst part was, I had been his girlfriend. I was the one he was supposed to marry today. And here he was, showing up to tell me all this garbage like I owed him something. "Serena... thank you." His voice was low. Weak. Like he couldn't even bring himself to look me in the eye. Thank me? I stared at him. The man who once swore to love me forever was thanking me for letting him go. My chest felt like it had been cracked open. It was pathetic. I was pathetic. "Get out! I never want to see you again!" My voice rose, sharp and hoarse, and I pointed to the door like it was burning. "Did you not hear her? Get the hell out!" Naomi stepped forward, grabbed a broom from the corner, and started swinging it at him like she was chasing out a rat. Julian didn't even argue. He just left. The door slammed behind him, and all the strength in my body left me. I dropped to the floor and stared blankly at the wall. Seven years. That kind of history doesn't just disappear. Even if he was a lying, cheating piece of trash, he was still the man I loved. And now it was over. "Serena, cry if you need to. Let it out. You'll feel better." Naomi knelt beside me and pulled me into her arms. "I'm not crying. Not for that scumbag. I won't." I looked up, trying to blink the tears away, but they came anyway. Slow, hot, and relentless. "Naomi, I don't want to hear his name ever again. Please." She held me tighter. "I know you're hurting. Just cry, and then we're gonna get through this. We'll start fresh. You and me." She said it gently, like she was talking to a child. But I could hear the emotion in her voice. My pain was her pain too. I didn't know how long I cried. Maybe hours. My eyes were swollen, my head ached, and everything felt heavy. But for the first time since it happened, I felt something release. When the tears finally stopped, I crawled back into bed. I slept. For what felt like a full day and night. But even in my dreams, I saw them. Julian. Monica. Together. Always together. It was torture. By day three, Naomi had had enough. She barged into my room and yanked the blanket off me like a mom trying to get her kid to school. "Serena, get up. You need to eat something." I didn't move. "I'm not hungry." "You haven't eaten in two days." I pulled the blanket back over my head. "I don't care. Just let me rot here." Naomi's voice snapped like a whip. "When the hell did you become this weak? Are you really gonna destroy yourself over some guy who couldn't keep it in his pants?" I stayed silent. She was right, but that didn't make the pain disappear. I gave Julian everything. I thought I was walking into forever, and instead I fell into a pit I couldn't climb out of. And I wasn't sure I wanted to.