chapter 40: Breaking Points
313 Words
Maria stood in front of the dorm bathroom mirror, wiping off the last smudge of mascara. Her reflection looked tired — not from lack of sleep, but from carrying too many secrets, too much pain.
Her phone buzzed again. She hesitated, already knowing who it was.
> Daniel: Can we talk? Just you and me. Please.
She stared at the message, her thumb hovering.
Behind her, Emeka leaned on the doorframe, munching on a banana. “You’re really going to ignore him again?” he asked, mouth full.
She glanced at him in the mirror. “I should.”
“But?” he teased.
“But I won’t.”
—
Later that evening, they met behind the school auditorium — the same place Daniel first made her feel seen. Now, the air between them was thick, not with love, but something heavier.
Daniel stepped forward. “I never meant for things to go this far, Maria.”
She crossed her arms. “But they did.”
He sighed. “It started as a bet. I won’t deny that. But somewhere along the line… it stopped being a joke to me.”
Maria’s eyes stung. She refused to blink. “Do you know how much that hurts to hear?”
He reached out, but she stepped back.
“I gave you everything,” she whispered. “And you gave me a reason to hate myself.”
Silence. Heavy.
Daniel nodded slowly. “Then maybe I deserve your silence too.”
He walked away this time. But unlike before, Maria didn’t smile.
She just stood there — the pain raw again.
But this time, she didn’t cry.
Not because she wasn’t hurting.
But because strength had replaced her tears.
As the night air brushed against her skin, she whispered to herself, “This isn’t over. Not yet.”
Because the real healing was just beginning.
- Writer
