The Way I Loved You ✓

31. Once Upon A Broken Heart

Once Upon a Broken Heart marks the launch of a new series from Stephanie Garber about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after. It follows rose gold-haired Evangeline Fox, whose stepsister is set to marry Luc, her one true love. Believing Luc to be cursed and desperate to stop the wedding, she enlists the help of Jacks, a Fate and the Prince of Hearts.

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Fun fact: the one trope in romance Emily hates is ‘groveling’.

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Chapter Thirty One: Once Upon A Broken Heart

“Your eyes look puffy,” Azra remarked, leaning against my locker.

An advice—if you ever plan on having an emotionally taxing fight, never have it on Monday. Then, you would have to face the whole week with the fight, in your mind, in public.

“Allergies,” I mumbled.

Leanna and Azra shared a look. Leanna had picked me up in the morning. She looked like she wanted to ask something the entire car ride. I had done the worst thing, opening up a book in front of me to shut off conversations.

“Are you alright?” Erika asked.

I had a vague idea that they knew about the fight. Theo was Nathan’s friend, and Leanna’s boyfriend. If he knew, he might have told her something.

“Yep,” I said, faking a smile and closing my locker, loading up my books into my backpack.

After my friends shared some conspired look among themselves, we went to our respective classes. I stayed somewhere inside my head, during the classes, while trying to push every thought away about a certain person.

I tried to train my eyes on the ground for the rest of the day. Lest it might meet a pair of green ones and I would somehow burst into tears and all my training for keeping my emotions in check would be in vain.

But I knew where he was, anywhere I went. As if I had a compass set inside me that directed to him. Anytime I walked into a classroom, I could tell, where he was sitting. How could I get rid of that?

Until now, anything I had been sad about, was temporary and less intense. This time was different. I sat among my friends at lunch with no appetite. I couldn’t even look at my lunch tray.  So, I opened the book I had with me, And then there were none, to avoid all conversations.

Worst of all was Nathan Callahan sitting at his usual table, to which I had great visual access to, if only I looked up. This seat had always proved so great for the exact reason it was proving to be fatal right now. I could still make out the shape of him, staring into his phone, unmoving.

I was going to jump from something tall, that would feel better.

“You are definitely not okay,” Malti said, “You know you can tell us anything, right?”

Chemistry would be the last class of the day. I would have to sit beside him.

“Em?” Azra waved her hand in front of the pages, blocking my view.

“Yeah, I heard you,” I mumbled, “I am fine.”

Leanna gave me a look, but didn’t say a word.

When I sat in chemistry class at last, I kept my eyes on the pages, but the words wouldn’t register in my brain. I had to read the same sentences quite a few times, while trying to watch the door through sideways. The clock ticked, minutes went by, Wong entered. But there was no sign of Nathan Callahan.