The phone screen glowed in the dim morning light, Alain's name, flashing insistently. Can we talk?
Autumn's fingers hovered, trembling. She wanted to scream No, to remove it and lock away the memories like a secret too painful to revisit.
But instead, she stared down at the tiny screen and let the silence answer for her.
Because loving Alain had been a beautiful lie.
She remembered the early days with sharp clarity, his easy laugh, the way he'd brush strands of hair from her face like he worshipped every inch of her skin. The nights when the world felt small and safe, wrapped in his arms.
But the light faded fast.
Arguments came like storms she didn't see coming. His words cut sharper than any knife. "You're too intense." "I can't manage your mood swings." "Maybe I made a mistake."
Those words weren't just cruel, they echoed the fears she'd buried since childhood, the voice of a father who only loved her when she was flawless.
And then came the betrayal.
Discovering he was with someone else wasn't just heartbreak. It was confirmation: she wasn't enough.
The ache wrapped tight around her chest like a nose.
She curled herself, fingers clutching the thin sheet like it might keep the pain at bay.
I'm too much.
I'm not lovable.
I'll always be alone.
She refused to say it aloud.
Instead, she breathed in the quiet, letting the ghost of their love dissolve into the chilly morning air.
And promised herself she'd never trust like that again.