When Love visits Again

Betrayals and Heartbreaks

*Four years ago*

My eyes welled with tears as memories of the day Aron broke my heart came flooding back.

I was running my mom's errands at the local supermarket that morning when Mrs Moore, the town busybody, surprised us. She was about to pay for her groceries when she dropped her bombshell.

"Who could have known?" she started, using her usual attention-grabbing statement. Everyone in the store turned to listen as she revealed the big news. She looked my way, a knowing look on her face, even though we weren't particularly close.

"Our handsome bachelor has finally swept a star off her feet," Mrs Moore said, patting her head and casting me yet another glance. Everyone was clamoring for more information, begging her to reveal the name of the lucky woman. "Who else but our gorgeous pop star? They're a match made in heaven!"

As the cheers and gasps filled the air, my heart sank to my knees. I felt shock coursing through my veins, and I dropped the basket, rushing out of the store before anyone could see the tears welling up in my eyes.

Without any clear destination in mind, I paced away from the market, my heart hammering in my chest. Soon, I found myself barging into Aron's newly acquired studio, the smell of fresh paint and turpentine mixed with my disbelief, and the space seemed to shrink around me.

As I stepped inside, I saw her—Mary Ann, the pop star, standing close to him, her hand resting on his arm.

"How can we help you?" Aron aked, his voice emotionless.

"I came to see you," I replied, my voice shaking with emotion. "I needed to talk to you."

Aron's eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering over my face. "About what?" he asked, his words dripping with disinterest.

"Us," I said, my voice barely audible.

"Us?" Aron echoed, his tone mocking. "You and I were never an 'us.' We were just two people having a bit of fun."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, but I forced them back.

"How could you?" I whispered again, my voice trembling. I hated myself for always being too quick to cry.

Aron's expression hardened. "Look, I was doing you a favor," he said, his voice cold and harsh. "You're broke, untalented, boring. I need someone who can support my career, not drag me down.”

"But what about the nights we spent together? The things you said to me?"

Aron shook his head, his expression hardening. "You're misunderstanding, Kiara. I never loved you. You were just...convenient."

His words were like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. How could he say such things?

"But what about all the times you said you loved me?" I asked, my voice cracking with emotion as desperation crept in."All the times you promised that we'd be together?"

Aron's smirk deepened. "That was just something I said to keep you happy. You were too much work to let go of."

I stared at him, my heart breaking into a million pieces. "You're a monster," I spat, my voice trembling with rage. "A liar and a cheat."

"I'm not a liar," Aron said, his voice still cold. "I'm just honest.”

The room fell silent, the only sound the rapid beating of my heart. Aron's words echoed in my head, a constant refrain of betrayal and lies.

"How can you say such things?" I asked, my voice raw with pain. "How can you look at me and not feel anything?"

Aron's face remained impassive, his expression as cold as stone. "I never loved you, Kiara," he said, his voice flat. "I was using you.

As I stood there, my world crumbling around me, Aron turned to Mary Ann, kissing her lips and teasingly biting them as she moaned loudly.

"I'm sorry for all this drama, babe," he spoke into Mary Ann's lips, his voice softening slightly. She blushed and kissed him back, totally ignoring my frozen state.

"But what if I'm pregnant? We haven't been using protection recently and I, I..."

"That's a lie, I haven't slept with you recently." Aron cut me off quickly.

I couldn't believe my ears. Aron was changing his story, his fingers pointed accusingly at me. "You're lying," he spat.

"We haven't slept together recently. You just want to trap me with a baby, so your Bible crazy parents may force us to marry. You want to ruin me with lies."

The pop star, sensing Aron's rising anger, placed a calming hand on his arm. "Don't worry, my love," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "No bitter hoe would come between us with lies. I'm your witness now."

As the pop star spoke, her words felt like poison in my ears, I felt my anger boiling over.

"I'm not lying," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "And even if I were, it would be better than what you're doing."

"And what's that?" Aron said, his tone mocking. "Being honest? Being successful? Or maybe it's being in love with someone who isn't a pathetic, bitter and desperate nobody?"

I felt like I'd been slapped, the sting of his words cutting deep.

“You are evil," I said, my voice laced with bitterness. "And you're a coward."

Mary Ann let out a soft chuckle. "Don't be upset, darling," she said, her voice sweet and condescending. "Aron has made his choice, and it's not you. Just be a lady and take your L elegantly.”

I felt my anger rising up wave after wave, threatening to drown me in its fury. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to make them both hurt the way I was hurting. But I couldn't. I was never good at that afterall.

Instead, I turned and stumbled out of the studio, the tears finally spilling down my cheeks.

Turning away from them, I fled the studio, tears blurring my vision. The midday sun scorched my skin, mirroring my chest pains. The betrayal pressed down on me, every step a reminder of the love I had lost.

I wandered aimlessly through the streets of Manu, each familiar corner now a haunting reminder of our secret moments together.

Finally, I found myself at the river's edge, its soothing presence beckoning me to a temporary rest. I sat on a nearby log, taking deep breaths, the rhythms of my usual anxiety relief practice returning to me. Each exhale brought me a step closer to calm, the stress within me fading slowly.

I absentmindedly picked up a smooth stone and skipped it across the river, the rhythmic plops echoing my thoughts.

As my breathing steadied and my heartbeat slowed, I knew I couldn't stay there forever. A twinge of guilt pierced my calm, reminding me of Mom's errands and the hours that had passed since I'd left her. She must be so worried.

I rose to my feet, and using the cool water to wash away the streaks of dried tears on my face. I headed back towards the market place, knowing that the world awaited me, and that I would not be crushed by Aron's betrayal.

I returned home, to find my mother in tears and my father pacing the living room. At my appearance, he stopped and glared at me, making the sign of the cross.

"You are a disgrace to this family," he said, his voice low and full of anger. "How could you do such an evil thing, trying to trap an innocent man with a child?"

I stood, frozen in shock, my mind racing as my father continued to berate me."I have never been so ashamed of you in my life," he said, his voice rising in volume. "Aron came to us today, begging for our help to save his fiancé from a bitter fan. He told us you've been lying and trying to ruin his reputation."

My heart sank as I realized the depth of Aron's deceit. "But Dad," I protested, my voice cracking. "That's not true! I never lied to him. We were together. We loved each other."

But my Dad wouldn't hear any of it. It seemed he was fully convinced that I was the devil.

No one really knew of our relationship, and I had no pictures to show and defend myself. So I just sat there as embarrassment got the better of me. If Aron lied like this to my parents about our issue, who knows who else had heard these lies? My heart almost stopped when I thought of my childhood friends and other people I knew in town. How would they view me now?