Her Love Is Traumatic

Conflicting Hearts

Lara's inner turmoil:

Lara tossed and turned in her bed, the scene from earlier replaying endlessly in her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Christine standing there with Alex, his hands so close to her face, their laughter floating in the air like a dagger in Lara’s heart.

“Why do I feel this way?” she whispered into the darkness, her heart heavy with emotions she couldn’t quite name.

It wasn’t just jealousy. It was something deeper, something that gnawed at her, leaving her restless and confused. Why did it hurt so much to see Christine with someone else? Why did it feel like a betrayal, even though Christine hadn’t done anything wrong?

Lara tried to shake off the feelings, but they clung to her like shadows, refusing to be ignored. She hated how tangled up her emotions had become, how Christine’s smile—the one she used to cherish—now felt like a knife twisting in her chest when it was directed at someone else.

It wasn’t just about Alex, she realized. It was about anyone who dared to step into the space she had carved out for herself in Christine’s life. Lara couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of resentment whenever someone else got too close to Christine, whenever they made her laugh or shared a secret with her. It was as if they were stealing a piece of something that belonged to her.

The intensity of these feelings scared her. Why was she so obsessed with Christine? Why did it matter so much to her who Christine talked to, who she laughed with? It wasn’t normal, and Lara knew it. But knowing didn’t make the feelings go away. If anything, it only made them stronger.

Her mind was spiraling, sinking deeper into the confusion and despair that had taken root there. She couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t find a way to make sense of the emotions swirling inside her.

“Why does she have to be so nice to everyone?” Lara muttered bitterly, clutching her pillow. “Why can’t she see that I’m the one who cares about her the most? Why can’t she be fair to me?”

A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another, until she was silently crying into her pillow, overwhelmed by the storm of emotions crashing through her.

Lara didn’t know how long she lay there like that, lost in her thoughts, before a soft knock on her door startled her. She quickly wiped her tears away, but it was too late. Mrs. Morgan, her adoptive mother, had already stepped into the room, her face filled with concern.

“Lara, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Mrs. Morgan asked gently, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “You look so troubled. Did something happen?”

Lara hesitated, but the weight of her emotions was too much to bear alone. She needed to talk to someone, needed to make sense of the mess inside her.

“Maa… it’s Christine,” Lara finally confessed, her voice trembling. “I just… I feel so insecure whenever she’s with someone else. When she laughs with someone else, or when someone else calls themselves her best friend… it drives me crazy. And when I saw her with Alex today, it was like… like a part of me was being ripped away.”

Mrs. Morgan listened quietly, her expression softening with understanding. “Oh, Lara,” she sighed, reaching out to stroke her daughter’s hair. “I can see how much Christine means to you, but it sounds like you’re putting too much pressure on yourself—and on her.”

Lara nodded, her eyes filling with tears again. “I know, but I can’t help it, Maa. She’s so important to me, and I can’t imagine my life without her. But… she doesn’t feel the same way, does she? She treats me the same as everyone else, and that’s what hurts the most. I want to be special to her, more than anyone else.”