Emily's world shatters when she discovers her boyfriend, Ryan, has been cheating on her with Katherine, a friend of her best friend, Trisha.
Feeling betrayed and heartbroken, Emily confronts Trisha, only to find that her friend chose silence over h...
Emily sat at her kitchen table, the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. She cupped the steaming mug of coffee in her hands, letting the warmth seep into her cold fingers. Her cheek still ached from where Ryan had slapped her the night before, a harsh reminder of everything she'd been through. The memory of his angry voice echoed in her head, but more than anything, she replayed Henry's voice, calm and steady, standing up for her when she couldn't.
It had been a long night. After Ryan had stormed off, Henry stayed by her side, helping her settle in and making sure she was alright before finally leaving late into the night. She appreciated his quiet strength, but today, she wasn't sure how to move forward.
Who am I without Ryan? she thought. For so long, her identity had been wrapped up in their relationship, even when things had been falling apart. Now, without him, she felt adrift.
Her phone buzzed on the table, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced down and saw Henry's name light up the screen. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Morning, Emily. How are you feeling today?" Henry's voice was gentle, concerned.
Emily let out a sigh, her fingers tracing the edge of the mug. "I don't know. I feel... empty, I guess. Lost. And a little sore," she added with a weak chuckle, gingerly touching her cheek.
"I figured," Henry said, and she could almost hear the frown in his voice. "I'm actually outside. Thought you might want to get some air today. Would that be okay?"
Emily was surprised, but a small part of her was relieved that he was there. "Yeah... that sounds nice. Give me a second."
After a quick change of clothes, Emily opened the door to find Henry leaning against his car, looking more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. He offered her a warm smile.
"Hey," he said. "I brought breakfast. I didn't know what you'd like, so I brought an assortment."
Emily couldn't help but smile. "You really didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to," he replied simply, holding up a bag of pastries. "Plus, I figured we could use some fresh air. There's a park nearby. What do you think?"
Emily hesitated. Normally, she would've wanted to stay inside, wrapped in her emotions, but there was something about the way Henry was looking at her—gentle but encouraging—that made her want to take him up on his offer. Maybe she needed a distraction.
"Okay," she said finally. "Let's go."
The park was quiet, save for the occasional chirp of birds and the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze. Emily and Henry found a bench near the lake, where they sat in companionable silence for a while, the sounds of the water lapping at the shore a soothing backdrop.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
