rtbeat, shaking the walls and vibrating through the floors. Laughter mingled with chatter, clinking glasses, and the soft hiss of the kitchen stove where food wa

ily lose track of time, forget the outside worl

nthusiasm that everyone else seemed to radiate effortlessly. She smiled when acquaintances approached her, answered small talk with practiced cheer, and even laughed when someone cracked a joke near

, and cheek kiss delivered with ease. Yet tonight, there was something different about him. He had the same effortless allure, but there was a hint of distance, a fragile edge to the

aint curl of his hair caught the party lights. Then she saw her heart lurch as her eyes fell upon him in an intimate exchange with another girl. Their flirtation was obvious; small t

blur, and her heart shatter into fragments she didn't know could break so easily. Time seemed to stop. The music, the l

ispered, barely

y, while she felt stranded in the wreckage of her own feelings. Lia's hands shook violently as she tried to hold herself together. She clenched them at her sides, ho

tered, laughter paused mid-sentence, and drinks were held halfway to lips as the room tilted toward silence. "After every

d rising like a wave, but Lia barely noticed. Her world had contracted to

n flickering across hi

can't believe I'm standing here... yelling at you... but I can't hold it in anymore! You think

ng the storm she had held in for far too long. "I thought... I t

eavy pressure that made it hard to breathe. She realized suddenly how public and intense she had been, how raw her vulnerability was on display for stran

bolted out of the party room, weaving through clusters of shocked guests. Some tried to call after her

ide her. She ran until her legs gave out, finally collapsing onto a bench under the shade of a blooming jasmine tree. The scent of the flowers mixed with the

tand. Maybe he could make it better, even if only with a word or two. H

th

ai

e wasn't near his phone. He was away, unaware of the whirlwind of emotion she was drowning in. A sob

t thrum of music, laughter, and voices behind the walls of the house-a cruel echo that mocked her misery. Every laugh felt like a knife twisting, eve

head, the sparkle in his eyes-it was etched into her memory, impossible to erase. She pressed her face into her hands, w

sting long shadows over her trembling form. Lia felt utterly alone, a small figure swallowed by the night, cons

rely audible, "Why does it a

ith sobs she could no longer contain. Her mind drifted to moments she had cherished-the rare smiles Adrian had given her, the fleeting conver

asses, the music-they all seemed a cruel parody of happiness. But outside, under the night sky, Lia let herself feel everything she had been holding back-the anger, the

k every ounce of strength she had. She would learn to breathe again without thinking of him, to smile without the shadow of heartbreak