Emerged

Elle’s POV: Two years ago “Elle , we need to talk." Swivelling around as I hear a familiar voice say my name, strutting over to me with such urgency and grace; the man I’m going to marry. Is he is going to say the words I've been dieing to hear come out of his mouth for the past 9 years? I thought to myself, as Brent neared me. My boyfriend for nearly a decade. Glaring at him as he gets closer , I cannot help but smile at the gorgeous specimen he is. Dark brown hair , tanned skin and a smile that has my legs buckling each and every time he flashes it at me. Not to mention, his tall and muscular build that I cannot keep my hands off of. God the things this man does to me!! Uh oh...there goes my mind again, taking me to planet filthy faster than I could say the word se— "Are you even listening to me? Did you not hear me say I needed to talk to you?" , I stare up at Brent , momentarily confused to see him closer than he was a moment ago. Must have zoned out again Elle. Always in the wrong moments! I silently reprimanded myself. "I'm so sorry babe , I probably zoned out. What were you about to say?" , I said as I reached up and grasped his shoulders to kiss his lips softly. Much to my surprise though, he turned his face away. Leaving me perplexed. "Like I said. We. Need. To. Talk." , he reiterated, with a look of utter annoyance I've never seen grace his handsome face before. A little more concerned, I took his hand and led him to the back of the storeroom of the book store I owned and worked at. Guess he isn't here to propose like I thought he was going to do. I thought to myself, as we came to a halt at the back of the room where it was less likely for people to eavesdrop. "What's going on Brent, you're scaring me.", I said with my arms folded across my chest, as if bracing myself for the worst. "I can't do this anymore Elle. I can't pretend to love you like I did a few years back when all I can think about is how trapped I feel. It's not fair towards you knowing I lay next to you at night dreaming about being anywhere but where you are..." , he trailed off and I continued staring at his lips. He was saying more things that I somehow drowned out. Only hearing the sound of my heart shattering into a billion pieces. Numbness for a minute or two. He just said I'm not enough for him in a million ways. Am I really that hard to love? Did I get too fat? Is the s*x not as good as it use to be? What changed? When did it change? Why did he lie to me for so long? These were all the things I wanted to ask him in that moment, but couldn't bring myself to. Not a sound left me. "....and that's why I have to let you go. Do what's best for both of us. I'm sure you'll find someone to love you right. That person is just not me. I need adventure right now and I feel like we are a routine. I hope you can forgive me some day and be friends again." , he stared at me expectantly."Elle? Are you going to say anything?", Brent said after a few minutes of awkward silence. I just continued to stare at him blankly and then the unexpected happened. I burst into hysterics. I mean the kind where I was clutching my stomach and rolling on the ground type of laughter. I stared up at Brent from the crouching position I held on the ground and lost it even more when I saw the look of utter confusion on his face. "...what the f**k is happening?", he trailed off. After another 10 more minutes of me absolutely losing my s**t I finally stopped the laughing and instead began shaking with anger I never knew I was capable of feeling before. "You knew you stopped loving me , you knew you stopped wanting to be in my life , you knew you wanted different things for yourself... this whole f*****g time." , I said with a sadistic laugh at the end. I stepped closer to him and poked his chest. "You knew I loved you and you used that to your advantage knowing you were going to break my heart in the end?" , I continued not waiting for an answer, " you knew this whole time that you were done but you f****d me, said you loved me, begged me to stay when I wanted to leave because I felt you slipping away and all because you wanted to be sure you were done with me completely so you could walk away in peace, with your heart in tact?" I stared up into the pair of green eyes that once held so much love for me, "you f*****g knew this whole time and gaslit me into believing you still cared. You sick son of a bitch." , I finish off my little rant keeping my weirdly low calm angry tone of voice I have never used a day in my life. Brent seemed to notice this as well, as he visibly cringed away from me the closer I got to his face , almost as if he was scared I would pounce on him like a raging wild cat. If only I was that crazy. "I'm sorry...I really am. Believe me I loved-", he began to say before I interrupted him. "Yes, key word being loved. Yet you still neglected to tell the one you stopped loving that your feelings had changed. Knowing damn well, I still felt the same way.... Just get out Brent. Get out and be gone from my life for good." Brent stepped towards me as if to console me but I pushed against his chest before he enclosed his arms around me. How dare he try to console me as if he was not the one breaking my heart into a million pieces right now. "Get.Out.Now." , I said softly but firmly. I will not let him see me break down. My pride would not let me shed a tear for this man - who stole a decade from me. Brent turned around and left , stopping near the door we walked through moments ago; when I still had a heart to begin with; he glanced at me over his shoulder and said something that would evidently shatter me for many years after, "I do love you Elle, I just can't love you like you were suppose to be loved." Thus, began the days of my life of never trusting a man again, because that was the day my heart was ripped from my chest and I never heard it beat the same again.