SHATTERED HEART: Because every love story has an ending

**Chapter 12: The Final Goodbye**

Chapter 12: The Final Goodbye**

Yuvan's heart was a shattered mess, splintered by the weight of betrayal and the memories of a love that now felt like a distant nightmare. As he stood in their apartment, the air thick with unspoken words and the echo of broken promises, the reality of the situation pressed down on him like a suffocating blanket.

Irish knelt on the floor, her eyes red and swollen from crying, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. “Please, Yuvan. Don’t leave me. I made a mistake—an awful mistake. I can’t lose you.” Her voice was raw, each word drenched in desperation. She reached out, her fingers trembling as if she could physically pull him back, as if her touch could somehow erase the pain she had caused.

But Yuvan couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Each moment spent in her presence felt like a dagger twisting deeper into his heart. He wanted to believe her, to let her words wrap around him like a comforting blanket, but the truth was too jagged, too overwhelming. He felt hollow, as if a part of him had been carved out and left to bleed. “This report is six months old,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, almost swallowed by the suffocating silence of their shared space. “What am I supposed to think? You cheated me; you killed me in every way possible.”

As he spoke, he could feel the heat of anger rising within him, mingling with the sorrow that had become his constant companion. Each accusation fell like a stone, heavy and unyielding. “How could you do this? How could you lie to my face for months, telling me everything was okay while you were with someone else? I gave you my heart, Irish. I trusted you!”

Irish’s sobs intensified, a heart-wrenching sound that clawed at the remnants of his resolve. “I know, I know! I can’t take it back. I wish I could, but it was a mistake! I was lost—I was confused! Please, just give me a chance to explain, to make things right.” Her pleas were desperate, each one pulling at the frayed edges of his heart, but he felt nothing but the cold embrace of betrayal wrapping around him.

Yuvan’s heart raced, emotions swirling in a chaotic storm within him. He thought of all their moments—the laughter they had shared, the dreams they had built together, the promises they had made under a blanket of stars. But now, those memories felt tainted, forever stained by her infidelity. “I can’t keep doing this,” he said, his voice breaking under the weight of his emotions. “I can’t pretend like everything is fine when it’s not. I’m not strong enough for that.”

Turning to leave felt like stepping off a cliff. Each step away from her felt like tearing away pieces of himself, but staying would only plunge him deeper into a darkness he couldn’t escape. He took a deep breath, willing himself to remain steady, even as his heart raced with anxiety and sorrow. He walked toward the door, his hands shaking with the effort of holding back the tears that threatened to spill over.

“Yuvan, please!” Irish’s voice cracked, pulling at him like a desperate child reaching for their parent. “Don’t go. I can’t live without you. I’ll do anything—I swear! Just don’t walk out that door!”

He hesitated, his hand hovering over the doorknob, the weight of her words pressing against him. But the memories of her betrayal rushed back like a tidal wave, crashing into his resolve. He couldn’t ignore the truth that had shattered their lives: Irish had chosen someone else, had betrayed the love they had nurtured for nearly two decades.

With tears streaming down his face, he opened the door, the cold air hitting him like a slap. “It’s too late, Irish,” he said, his voice trembling with the weight of his pain. “You made your choice. I can’t be the one left picking up the pieces.”

He stepped outside, feeling the cool breeze brush against his skin, grounding him in the reality that he had to face. Behind him, he heard her sobs intensify, a sound so raw and anguished that it felt like a knife slicing through the air. “I’m so sorry, Yuvan!” she cried, her voice a haunting melody of despair. “Please don’t do this! Please!”

But he couldn’t look back. He couldn’t face the pain in her eyes or the regret that threatened to pull him back into a vortex of heartbreak. Each step away from her felt like a slow death, a mourning of what could have been, but he forced himself to move forward. He couldn’t allow himself to be drawn into the cycle of despair again, no matter how desperately she begged