Chapter Two
1277 Words
Amelia got into her car quickly, her hands shaking so badly she almost dropped the keys.
“Amelia!” Daniel called behind her.
She heard the door of the apartment burst open before hurried footsteps followed after her.
“Please wait!”
She didn’t look back.
Not even once.
Daniel stood outside barely dressed, desperation written all over his face, but Amelia couldn’t bring herself to spare him a single glance.
Because if she looked at him again
She might completely break.
She entered the car and drove off immediately, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
She had no destination in mind.
She just wanted to get far away from him.
Far away from that apartment.
Far away from the image burned into her mind.
Daniel and Vanessa.
Together.
Her chest tightened painfully.
A tear slid down her cheek, then another.
Soon she could barely see the road clearly anymore.
As she drove through the empty streets, memories started flooding her mind without mercy.
The first day they met.
The awkward smile Daniel gave her when he accidentally spilled coffee on her dress.
The first date he planned at that small rooftop restaurant because he claimed expensive places were “too boring.”
The night he confessed his feelings for her, nervously stumbling over his own words while she tried not to laugh.
And the proposal.
God.
She remembered how nervous he looked while holding the ring.
His hands were shaking more than hers.
“I’ve loved you since the first day I saw you,” he had said.
Back then, Amelia believed every single word.
So how did they end up here?
How could someone love her for six years and still destroy her like this?
“It hurts…” she whispered brokenly.
Six years.
She gave him six whole years of her life.
Her trust.
Her loyalty.
Her future.
Only to be betrayed by the two people she loved most.
Fresh tears blurred her vision again.
And in the middle of her heartbreak, Amelia failed to notice the traffic light turning red.
A loud horn suddenly blasted through the air.
“s**t!”
Amelia slammed hard on the brakes.
Her car stopped just inches away from a man crossing the street.
Her breathing became uneven immediately.
The stranger cursed angrily before walking away, but Amelia barely heard him.
Her heart pounded violently against her chest.
She looked at her trembling hands.
Then suddenly anger exploded inside her.
“Damn it!” she screamed, hitting the steering wheel hard.
The tears came faster now.
Hot.
Painful.
Endless.
Unable to breathe properly inside the car anymore, Amelia stepped out and slammed the door shut.
She didn’t even care that she left the car by the roadside.
She just walked.
Blindly.
Aimlessly.
Until she reached a small playground nearby.
The place was empty and quiet.
Only the soft sound of the night wind filled the air.
Amelia slowly sat on one of the swings and pushed herself gently with her feet.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
She stared at the dark sky above her.
She wanted to cry harder.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to break something.
But strangely
She felt numb.
The emotions inside her were too heavy.
Too suffocating.
She felt stupid.
Played.
Used.
But Amelia was too stubborn to completely fall apart.
So instead, she stayed there quietly beneath the stars, swinging slowly in the middle of the empty playground while her broken heart silently bled inside her chest.
By the time Amelia finally got home hours later, exhaustion and heartbreak had completely drained her.
She dropped her keys on the counter and stood there silently.
The apartment suddenly felt too quiet.
Too empty.
Three days.
In three days she was supposed to get married.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
She walked slowly toward the dining table where wedding magazines, invitation samples, and flower catalogs were still neatly arranged.
Things she spent months planning.
Things that suddenly meant nothing.
Her eyes landed on a framed picture of her and Daniel.
It was taken on their first anniversary.
Daniel had his arms wrapped around her while she laughed at something he whispered in her ear. They looked happy. Real.
Amelia grabbed the frame and stared at it for a long moment.
Then she threw it across the room.
The glass shattered instantly.
And just like that, the first sob escaped her lips.
“No…” she whispered, tears pouring freely now. “No, no, no…”
She sank to the floor, covering her mouth as painful cries shook through her body.
This couldn’t be happening.
Daniel loved her.
He was supposed to love her.
So why did it feel like she had been the only one truly in love?
Her phone suddenly rang.
Daniel.
Amelia stared at the screen with blurry eyes as it continued vibrating in her hand.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
She declined the call.
A second later, another call came in.
Then another.
Then messages.
Daniel
Baby please talk to me.
It’s not what you think.
Please let me explain.
Amelia laughed bitterly through her tears.
Not what she thought?
She saw them together.
What exactly was there to explain?
Another message appeared.
I love you. Please don’t do this.
Her expression hardened.
Don’t do this?
As if she was the problem.
As if she caused this.
Anger slowly pushed through the heartbreak inside her chest.
Her fingers trembled as she typed back:
Three days before our wedding, Daniel.
She stared at the message for a second before pressing send.
Almost immediately, her phone rang again.
This time, she switched it off completely.
Silence filled the apartment once more.
Amelia wiped her face and slowly stood up.
Her eyes moved toward the white wedding dress hanging near the window.
Just hours ago, it had made her happy.
Now it looked painful.
Like a cruel joke.
She walked toward it carefully, touching the soft fabric with trembling fingers.
“I was so stupid,” she whispered.
A fresh wave of tears burned her eyes.
Then suddenly
A knock sounded at the door.
Amelia froze.
Another knock came.
Stronger this time.
“Amelia, please open the door.”
Daniel.
Her stomach twisted painfully at the sound of his voice.
“Go away,” she said weakly.
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”
She closed her eyes tightly.
Part of her wanted to scream at him.
Another part wanted to open the door and ask him why she wasn’t enough.
“Amelia…”
His voice sounded broken now.
And somehow that made everything hurt even more.
Because if he felt this bad…
Why did he do it?
Slowly, Amelia walked toward the door but stopped before opening it.
On the other side, she could hear his breathing.
The silence between them felt heavy.
Painful.
Finally, she spoke.
“Did you love her?”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
And that silence destroyed something inside her.
Amelia stepped back from the door as tears rolled down her cheeks again.
“You just answered my question,” she whispered.
“Amelia wait”
“No.”
Her voice came out stronger this time.
“For the first time in my life, I don’t want to hear another lie from you.”
Silence.
Then she heard him sigh heavily from the other side.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
Amelia let out a broken laugh.
“But you did.”
Another silence followed.
Long.
Painful.
Final.
Then eventually, she heard his footsteps slowly disappear down the hallway.
And for the first time that night
Amelia truly realized her perfect life was over.
- Writer
