This is the sequel to Heart Ain't a Brain. If you haven't, read that first!
They say don't fall in love, it's a mistake.
The trajectory of one's life can change in the blink of an eye. So what happens when a series of tragic events changes the cour...
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Raelle
Now when my friends ask how I'm doing I say I'm great now, but the truth is I'm getting good at holdin' it in
All my emotions, all my feelings But the more that I fight them, the bigger they seem What really kills me is all the small things
The soft strumming of JoJo's Small Things filled the quiet of my apartment, the acoustic melody amplifying the ache in my chest. The song had been on repeat for the past hour, yet I hadn't once thought to change it. Maybe because it felt like the only thing that truly understood me right now—the slow, painful unraveling of love.
I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands resting on the black Balenciaga sock trainers in front of me, their sleek silhouette a painful reminder of all the things Dominic had given me. Once, I had loved these shoes—just as I had loved every purse, bracelet, and piece of clothing he ever surprised me with. Now? They were just objects. Souvenirs of a love story that had ended in lies and betrayal. I shoved them into the box without care, letting them tumble in with the rest of the discarded gifts.
The past few days had been a blur of heartbreak and exhaustion. New Year's Day should have been a fresh start, a chance to celebrate making it into another year. Instead, I had spent it curled up in Mari's arms, crying so hard I thought my body might give out from the weight of my grief.
The betrayal still burned deep knowing that Dominic had lied to me. It was painful enough knowing he had moved on so quickly after our breakup, but realizing he was with someone who had already caused problems in our past made it so much worse. I felt deceived and humiliated—like he had paraded her around me and our friends as if it were perfectly okay.
The first three days after the New Year's Eve disaster had been the worst. I barely ate. I barely moved. The only reason I didn't completely spiral was because Mari and Chris wouldn't let me. It took everything in me not to cut, but with Mari always staying close, making sure I was okay, I never even had the chance.
The urge had been so overwhelming at times that my fingers trembled against my skin, desperate for the release I used to find in pain but I held myself together the best I could without resorting to my only outlet of stress release. And that was mainly because of Mari.
Throughout this whole thing, she had been my rock, my safe place, the one person who held me together when I was falling apart. The thought of her leaving felt like losing my lifeline, and though I understood—she had a life to return to, a daughter who surely missed her—I couldn't shake the ache in my chest.
She had given me something I needed more than anything: a sense of security, of being seen, and had held me when the world around me crumbled. I will never forget the way she clung to me that night, like an anchor in the middle of a raging storm, refusing to let me drown. She wasn't just my best friend—she was a soulmate in a way I had never imagined possible. I had heard of platonic soulmates, but I had never truly understood it until now.
