Koch

y knew: I no longer loved him. The pain in my foot was searing, but the pain in my heart was a dull, numb ache. He was a broken rail

na of old would have been shattered, crying tears o

t as she glanced at me. "Oh, Jake," she whimpered, "this is all my fault! You should have protected Alena first! You always put me first, but

on me anymore." I looked at Jake, my gaze unflinching. "This isn' t about loyalty. This is about negligence. Here' s the bill for my medical treatment, my l

hadn't even registered the angry red burns on my foot. He immediately bristled, stepping between us. "Alena, what are you doing? It was an accident! Britney didn' t

indifference settling

you used so much medicine! Are you sure this is all necessary?" she whined. "I... I need to go ho

ndaged foot as I shifted, wincing slightly. A flicker of something-doubt? regret?-crossed his face. He he

a dull throb compared to the quiet ache of finality

at, the weight of grief still heavy on my shoulders. I saw them from a distance, Jake and Britney, standing by Mom's

a carefully crafted expression of remorse. "Alena," he began, his voice low, "I didn' t realize... I mean,

t. The one you thought you didn' t get." He paused, his gaze shifting uncomfortably. "I... I replaced your applicat

the one I had worked so hard for, the one I had poured my soul into. "You did what?" I hissed, my voice barely a whisper, then rising to a furious roar. "My dream job? The one I worked sl

e was going through a tough time. She needed a fresh start. And I just thought... you, you would always land on you