Requiem of a Broken Heart

Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

In the blink of an eye, Brian’s long strides brought him closer, his face etched with concern.

Tracy, sensing his concern, quickly reassured him. “Brian, please don’t worry. It was all my fault earlier. I wasn’t holding the cup properly. Rachel had no part in this.”

Rachel’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile, her eyes cold with disdain. For a brief moment, when Brian had approached, she had allowed herself to believe that he might actually care, that his concern was for her.

Her heart had softened, only to be shattered by the realization that she was wrong.

He wasn’t here for her, only rushing to protect Tracy.

Rachel’s expression hardened, her voice devoid of emotion as she finally spoke. “This has nothing to do with me,” she said, her tone calm but cutting. “If I had wanted to hurt her, the whole cup of coffee would have been thrown at her, not just a few splashes.”

Brian’s expression darkened, an unreadable intensity settling in his eyes. Before he could stop himself, his hand reached out, fingers curling firmly around Rachel’s wrist. “Rachel…” he murmured, his voice husky, laced with an unfamiliar hesitation.

The sound of his voice, once a balm to Rachel’s soul, now sent a jagged ache through her chest. She steeled herself, masking the storm beneath her calm exterior. “Release me,” she said quietly, though the faint tremor in her words betrayed her.

Brian, however, didn’t release her. Instead, his grip only tightened.

Rachel inhaled deeply, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “Alright then,” she said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of something unspoken. “Tell me, do you even know what I’m afraid of?”

“You…” Brian faltered, taken aback by her question. He was momentarily lost for words, realizing how little he understood her.

Lᴀt𝑒st chαptєrs in ɢ𝓪lnovels.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“Forget it,” she said quietly, her hand slipping from his as she pushed him gently away. “I must have been asking for too much.”

Rachel turned away, her footsteps steady, yet each step carried the weight of an unbearable truth. She didn’t glance back, unwilling to reveal the turmoil within. Though her exterior remained composed, the pain had already carved deep wounds in her heart.

Brian had always remembered everything about Tracy; her fears, her anxieties, the little details that made her who she was. He knew she was afraid of darkness and confined spaces. But he…

the dark, that the sensation of

twin brother had entered the world on the same day, but from the beginning, their lives had been shaped by

words and cold indifference stung less with him by her side. At least she wasn’t completely alone. But everything changed the day he was diagnosed with autism.

learned that affection was a privilege, not a given, and survival meant enduring, adapting, and expecting nothing from anyone. Everything worsened when Moira Haynes became

their days locked in attics, cellars, and windowless rooms where darkness

suffocating. Shadows blurred into one another, erasing all sense of space and time. Yet Rachel couldn’t risk turning on a light. Visibility meant discovery, and discovery meant punishment. If Moira ever found out about them, the consequences would be severe. A beating would be the least of their worries. Surviving didn’t guarantee living; it only meant enduring

the raw, visceral terror that seeped into her bones, a fear so deep it consumed her. But Brian—he never

kept walking, forcing herself forward as

she unexpectedly bumped into Ronald. His expression was

hand. She said nothing, the silence heavy between them. It was obvious Brian had sent him to buy the ointment for Tracy. Yet, the

limp in Rachel’s stride, her unsteady and strained gait. He frowned and

she answered, “You should go. Brian

he quickly realized

approached Brian’s desk, Brian looked up at him, his tone casual but purposeful. “Ronald, apply this for

yet insistent. “Brian,

the ointment tube, unscrewed the cap, and was about to apply it when something inside him shifted. With a quiet

Tracy pouted, clearly displeased, her eyes narrowing with frustration. “If it’s too much trouble, I

her pride taking over.

attention, perhaps a sign of connection. But as she watched Brian immersed in his work, his concentration unshaken, a familiar

with a deep sigh, she decided to leave. There would be other moments, she

at the modest office, their eyes quickly

take long for them to identify the young woman responsible for copying Rachel’s design. She was shy, introverted, and looked as though she had just stepped out of school. Her appearance struck a chord with Rachel, evoking memories of her early days

across from them looked

as she locked eyes with the woman. “I think you recognize this,” she

widened in surprise as she examined the draft. “How did you know?” she stammered,

firm. “Because I’m the one who created this design, I spent a week working on it. The submission you made to Titan Innovations is nearly identical, with only slight alterations. What you’ve done is not only plagiarism, it’s also an infringement of my intellectual property.” She paused, giving the woman time to absorb her words.

confusion and realization. She struggled to comprehend the gravity of the

happening? She seems lost. Do

woman. “Let’s wait and see. We’ll know

“Alright,” Samira replied.