Fractured Echoes

chapter 12

" The Breaking Point "

The silence between me and Violet stretched on like an endless fucking void the entire day. No texts. No glances. No forced small talk to pretend shit was okay. Just this unbearable tension hanging in the air, thick enough to choke on. Part of me hated it—hated how we'd gone from *everything* to... whatever this was. But the other part of me was relieved. I didn't have to face her, didn't have to deal with her eyes searching mine for answers I didn't have. Not yet, at least.I spent most of the day in my room, just lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying not to think about it—about *her*. But the more I tried to shove her out of my mind, the more she crept in, clawing her way back in like she always does.It was late when she finally showed up, quietly opening my door like she didn't want to wake a sleeping beast. I wasn't asleep. I hadn't slept since the last conversation we had. The door creaked slightly, and when I glanced up, there she was—her silhouette framed by the dim hallway light. "Iris..." Her voice cracked as she stepped further inside, the door clicking shut behind her. "I'm... I'm really sorry."I watched her through the dark, my chest tightening at the sight of her. She wasn't just apologizing—she was breaking. Tears welled up in her hazel eyes, streaming down her cheeks as she stood there, looking more lost than I've ever seen her."I'm sorry about everything." Her voice was small, choked by sobs, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say. A part of me wanted to reach out, pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be okay. But another part of me—the part that had been bruised and battered by her lies and silence—was screaming *don't fucking do it*. Don't let her back in just because she's crying. Don't let her break you all over again.I sat there, the silence between us stretching so fucking thin you could almost hear it cracking. The only sound in the room was Violet's soft, broken sobs. My chest felt tight, suffocating. I hated seeing her like this—hated how it made me feel. I sighed heavily, my mind in complete chaos. "Okay... okay, Violet. I forgive you."Her crying stopped almost instantly, like the words had flipped a switch in her. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling as she looked at me, her face still wet with tears. "Really?" she asked, her voice shaky, but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes that I hadn't seen all day."Yeah... yes, Violet," I replied, my voice low. The weight of those words hit me as soon as I said them, but I wasn't sure if I even meant them. Before I could process it, she hopped onto the bed beside me, her legs brushing against mine. She settled there, close enough that our skin touched, and it felt... comfortable. For the first time in days, it didn't feel suffocating. It felt like something had shifted, like all the mess between us was slowly melting away.I don't know if it was the closeness or the way she looked at me, those hazel eyes swimming with emotions I couldn't decipher, but something in me just... gave in. Maybe I *did* still care. Maybe I'd never stopped. I turned my head to look at her, and our eyes locked. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't feel the need to pull away. Her gaze softened, and for a second, the rest of the world just faded. No more anger, no more confusion—just her. Just us.Before I even knew what I was doing, I leaned in, my lips brushing against hers softly, testing the waters. She didn't hesitate. She kissed me back, her lips warm and familiar, like we hadn't spent all this time fighting. Like everything between us hadn't fallen apart.It felt... right, for that split second. Like everything could be okay again.But then, the door burst open.I jerked back, my heart slamming against my ribs, eyes wide as the world came crashing back. My stomach dropped as I saw who stood in the doorway—Charlotte.She froze, her hand still gripping the doorknob, her eyes widening in disbelief as she took in the sight of me and Violet, tangled up in each other, our lips still swollen from the kiss. "Fuck," I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper, but it was too late. The damage was done.Her face twisted with something—hurt, anger, betrayal, I didn't fucking know—but whatever it was, it was ugly. Her eyes flickered between me and Violet, her mouth opening like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out. And then, she turned and walked away, slamming the door behind her so hard it rattled the walls.It all went south from that moment.I sat there, frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as Violet stared at the door, her expression just as shocked as mine."Shit," she whispered, her voice barely audible, like she knew—like we both knew—we'd just fucked everything up beyond repair.The room was suffocating, everything collapsing around us in slow motion. The kiss. Charlotte. The mess we had created. I wanted to chase after her, wanted to scream and explain, but what the hell was I even supposed to say? What could I say that would make any of this better? It was too late. Too fucking late.And I was stuck in the middle of this disaster with no way out.