Make me, Mon Amour.

Shattered Reflections.

Warning: Not a happy chapter. 🥹 (I cried while making this)

The days following their explosive argument were filled with a deafening silence. Marina and Dada avoided each other, each consumed by their own thoughts and pain. The once warm and loving atmosphere of their apartment had turned cold and uninviting.

Marina spent most of her time in the bedroom, scrolling through her phone or staring blankly at the walls. She couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal and disappointment. Every missed call from Dada, every absent moment, replayed in her mind, fueling her anger. *Why did I let myself believe he could change?* she thought, tears welling up in her eyes. *Why do I always end up feeling so alone?*

Dada, on the other hand, buried himself in work. He spent long hours at the office, returning home only to sleep on the couch. He was afraid to face Marina, afraid of the hurt in her eyes and the anger in her voice. His own guilt and self-loathing kept him from trying to bridge the gap between them. *I’ve failed her again,* he thought bitterly. *How can I ever make this right?*

One evening, after another long day at work, Dada returned home to find Marina sitting at the kitchen table, a cold, untouched meal in front of her. The air between them was thick with unspoken words and unresolved emotions.

“Hey,” Dada said softly, hoping to start a conversation. Marina didn’t respond, her eyes fixed on the table. “Marina, we need to talk about this. We can’t keep going on like this.”

Marina’s gaze slowly lifted, her eyes meeting Dada’s with a cold intensity. “What’s there to talk about? You’ve made it clear where your priorities lie.”

“That’s not fair, Marina. I’ve been trying to make things right,” Dada said, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Trying? You call burying yourself in work and ignoring me trying?” Marina’s voice was sharp, cutting through the tension. “You haven’t even tried to understand how I feel.”

Dada’s shoulders slumped, the weight of her words pressing down on him. “I’m sorry, Marina. I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t know how to make you believe that I care.”

Marina’s eyes filled with tears, her anger giving way to deep sadness. “It’s not about believing, Dada. It’s about feeling. I don’t feel like you care. I feel alone. I feel abandoned.”

Dada reached out, his hand trembling as he tried to touch Marina’s. She pulled away, her expression hardening again. “You don’t get to just touch me and make everything better. It’s not that simple.”

“I know it’s not simple, Marina. I’m just… I’m lost without you,” Dada confessed, his voice breaking. “I don’t know how to make you feel loved again.”

Marina stood up, pushing her chair back with a harsh scrape. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you kept letting me down. I need some space, Dada. I need to figure out if this is even worth saving.”

Dada’s heart sank, fear gripping him. “Are you saying you want to break up?”

“I don’t know what I want right now,” Marina admitted, her voice softening slightly. “I just know that I can’t keep feeling this way. I need time to think.”

Dada nodded, his eyes filled with tears. “Take all the time you need, Marina. I’ll be here, waiting for you.”

Marina didn’t respond, her silence speaking volumes. She walked away, leaving Dada standing in the kitchen, feeling more alone than ever. The rift between them seemed wider than ever, the possibility of reconciliation growing dimmer with each passing day.