Shattered

Prologue

"What just happened in there?" He yelled, chasing after me, his voice thick with worry.

"I can't do this anymore," I sobbed, my words falling out between breaths. "I just can't." I feel my lungs shrink and it's getting hard to breathe.

"Can't do what? Please, El, talk to me. What's going on?" His desperation was visible, his eyes searching mine for answers.

"It's over," I choked out, trying to steady my voice. "I don't want to see you again, I just can't. I don't want this anymore."

Aaron's face was a mix of confusion and hurt. "What are you saying? I thought we were happy."

"I can't explain," I said, my voice breaking. "It's just... too much for me right now. I thought I could handle it, but I can't."

"Handle what?" He asked, stepping closer, his expression concerned. "If there's something wrong, you can tell me. I want to help you."

"I can't drag you into this," I said, tears streaming down my face. "I need to be alone. I'm sorry, but this is something I have to deal with on my own."

"Please, El," his voice trembled. "Don't shut me out like this. I love you. I want to be here for you, whatever you're going through."

"I know you do," I said, my heart aching. "But right now, I need space."

His face crumpled with pain. "If that's what you need, I'll give it to you."

"I wish things were different," I said, struggling to hold back my tears. "I really do."

As I turned away, my heart felt like it was breaking into pieces, knowing that walking away from him was the hardest choice I had ever made.

It was supposed to be a fresh start, a chance to leave behind the shadows of my past and embrace a new beginning. Moving to a new town was a rare glimmer of hope in the darkness I'd been escaping. Aaron had become a symbol of that new beginning, a beam of light that I thought could guide me through the storm. But as I walked into that dinner, I was unprepared for the storm that would hit me from within.

The evening started off warm, an invitation into a world that felt like it might finally be mine. Yet, as the night went on, the weight of my past began to press down on me. The joy of the evening twisted into a cruel reminder of the fears and pain I had tried so hard to forget. The world seemed to spin around me as I struggled to breathe, old wounds reopening with a pain I wasn't prepared for.