Tearing Paper

Beautiful Brokenness

“You have no right to say that,” Nate’s voice trembled with rage. “You have no right—“

“Do you really wanna know the truth?”

Nate couldn’t figure out how Ella knew everything about Dianne. Something inside him pushed him to run and leave that room, that he wasn’t ready to listen to everything she had to say about the woman he had fallen in love with.

Dianne—Dianne never looked like anything Ella said she was.

“You should. I love you, Nate. Don’t you get it? We’re inseparable,” Ella advanced towards him and took his hand. “I know we might never be the same anymore—I know, one day, if I ever walk down the isle in my wedding dress, you might still be the guy I’m thinking about—I know, one day, I will mistakenly call my husband with your name and he would probably leave me for it…”

“Stop, will you? Stop,” Nate placed his index finger on Ella’s lips. “I don’t wanna hear it.”

“Because we’re through. I know,” Ella nodded. “But I still care about you. You’re still my best friend.”

“O-okay,” Nate sighed, giving in. “How did you…”

“When I fainted by the river last week, a man saved me. Apparently, he was with his sister—Dianne.”

“I-it was you?” Nate frowned unbelievingly. Ella shrugged. “Small world?”

“Go on.”

“I don’t remember anything about them because clearly I was unconscious. But during my stay at the hospital, a man came to me, inquiring things about them. His name was Lucio. He was—he was—“

“I know. Dianne’s ex-boyfriend,” Nate almost exhaled some air of relief when Ella interrupted.

“That was not all. Do you think that girl is as innocent as she seems? I’ve said it—“

“Ella—“

“She came to this town with big, mindless dreams of becoming a poet. Lucio found her in his dad’s company, kicked out after what seemed to be an embarassing encounter. Lucio liked her instantly, and as they got closer, he promised to help her get her book published.

“However, Lucio was not as helpful as he assured Diane. He’s like the skunk of his family—it got worse when he decided not to have anymore contact with his family unless they agreed to help Dianne. He moved out, lived with Dianne and started from the bottom. Really sweet, actually.”

“I don’t get why you’re telling everything to me. I don’t care about her past,” Nate said with his low voice.

“I’m just saying that since then, thei relationship did not turn as pretty as they wished it would be. Lucio’s life was falling apart without his family. They were outcasts. Lucio used Dianne as a—a painkiller. She easily agreed to do that. Every time Lucio wanted her. She…”

“She loved him,” Nate tried to fight back the image of Dianne and Lucio together. She had always seemed so secretive, so frail, so hidden behind her messy blonde hair when she wrote those poems in the café back then. That was when Nate took so much interest in her. That was when Nate had fallen in love with her.

Who knew brokenness would be so beautiful?

“She’s practically throwing herself at him! She’s a cheap slut!” Ella exclaimed. “That was her life in this town before she met you!”

Nate did not answer her, so Ella circled her arms around his neck and leaned forward to kiss his lips softly. “I’m so sorry, Nate.”

“No.” Just before their lips touched, Nate freed himself from her and stepped away. “Thank you for telling me all that, but I’ll never—ever—consider coming back to you.”