Chapter 8 Heartbreak

• Victoria sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall, the silence of the room wrapping around her like a heavy fog. Her heart felt like a shattered mirror, each piece reflecting moments of happiness now tainted with doubt and betrayal. She tried to focus on something—anything—but the thoughts kept spiraling back to Daniel.
• The door creaked open, and Sophie peeked in, concern etched on her face. “Hey, Vic. You okay?”
• Victoria forced a smile, but it felt brittle, like it might crack under the weight of the truth. “Yeah, just… tired.”
• Sophie stepped inside, her presence a comforting balm amidst the chaos in Victoria’s mind. “You don’t look okay. Want to talk about it?”
• “Not really,” Victoria replied, shaking her head. “I just… I don’t know what to think anymore.”
• Sophie sat beside her on the bed, the mattress sinking under their weight. “You can talk to me. Whatever it is, I promise I’ll listen.”
• Victoria bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill over. “It’s just… I found those texts, and I thought maybe it was just a misunderstanding. But then…”
• “But then it wasn’t, right?” Sophie filled in gently, her eyes softening with empathy.
• Victoria nodded, tears finally breaking free. “He said it was nothing, just some dumb texts. But how can it be nothing when it feels like everything I believed in is crumbling?”
• Sophie reached out, squeezing Victoria’s hand. “You’re not broken, Vic. You’re just hurting. It’s okay to feel lost right now.”
• “I thought we were happy,” Victoria murmured, her voice trembling. “I thought we had something real. But now… I feel like I don’t even know him anymore.”
• “People change, and sometimes they hide things. It doesn’t reflect on you,” Sophie said, her voice steady. “You deserve honesty and love, not secrets and lies.”
• “I keep going over it in my head,” Victoria confessed, her heart aching. “Did I miss something? Were there signs I ignored? I don’t know how to pick up the pieces.”
• “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Sophie reassured her. “This is on him, not you. You can’t control how someone else chooses to act.”
• “Maybe I should have seen it coming,” Victoria said, shaking her head. “He was acting differently, disappearing for long hours. But I didn’t want to believe it.”
• “Don’t blame yourself for wanting to see the good in him,” Sophie replied softly. “It’s natural to want to trust the person you love.”
• Victoria let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow. “Love. What even is that anymore? If it can turn into something so ugly, what was it worth?”
• Sophie’s expression turned serious. “It was worth everything you put into it. Love is complex, and sometimes it leads us down dark paths we never expected. But it doesn’t mean you didn’t experience something beautiful.”
• “Beautiful,” Victoria echoed, her heart aching at the word. “Now it feels like a lie. Every moment, every memory—was it all just a façade?”
• “Memories are real, even if the present feels broken,” Sophie said, her voice steady. “You’re allowed to feel hurt, Vic. You’re allowed to grieve the loss of what you thought you had.”
• Victoria squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears flow freely. “It just hurts so much. I feel like I’m drowning in it. I can’t breathe, and I don’t know how to get back to the surface.”
• “Take it one step at a time,” Sophie advised, wrapping an arm around Victoria’s shoulders. “You don’t have to have all the answers right now. Just focus on what you need to feel better.”
• “I don’t even know what better looks like,” Victoria admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I feel broken. I don’t know if I can trust again. I don’t know if I can even trust myself.”
• “You will figure it out,” Sophie encouraged, her tone soothing. “You’ve always been strong, even if it doesn’t feel that way now. It’s okay to lean on me and let yourself feel whatever comes up.”
• Victoria leaned into Sophie, grateful for her support. “What if I’m never whole again?” she asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
• “You will be,” Sophie insisted. “It might take time, but you’re not defined by this moment. You’re still you, and you will come out of this stronger. Just give yourself grace to feel and heal.”
• They sat in silence, the weight of the world pressing down on them. Victoria stared at the floor, her mind racing with memories of better times. The laughter, the intimacy, the plans they’d made—now they felt like ghostly echoes, haunting her with what she had lost.
• Sophie broke the silence, her voice gentle. “Have you thought about talking to Daniel again? Maybe understanding his side?”
• Victoria shook her head vehemently. “I can’t. Every time I think about it, it just brings back the hurt. I don’t want to feel that again.”
• “Then don’t,” Sophie said softly. “You’re allowed to take a step back. Right now, focus on you. What do you want? What will help you find your way again?”
• “I don’t know,” Victoria replied, her heart heavy. “I just feel… lost. Like I’m in this dark tunnel with no light at the end.”
• “It’s okay to be in that tunnel for now,” Sophie assured her. “You don’t have to rush toward the light. Just let yourself exist in that space without judgment.”
• Victoria took a deep breath, feeling the weight of Sophie’s words settle within her. “I don’t want to be in this pain forever,” she confessed, her voice cracking. “But right now, it’s all-consuming.”
• Sophie nodded, understanding. “It will feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone in it. I’m here with you, and we’ll navigate this together. One day at a time.”
• “Thank you,” Victoria said, her voice filled with gratitude. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
• “Just take care of yourself,” Sophie replied, squeezing her hand again. “That’s the most important thing. You deserve to heal.”
• As they sat together, the darkness loomed around Victoria, but Sophie’s presence was a flicker of hope amidst the shadows. She didn’t know what the future held or how she would find her way back to herself, but for now, she allowed herself to sit in the pain, knowing she didn’t have to face it alone.