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…

had never once noticed Rachel’s fears, never realized that she, too, was terrified of the dark, that the sensation of sudden drops and

had entered the world on the same day, but from the beginning, their lives had been shaped by loss. Their mother had died during childbirth, leaving them in the hands of a father and

by her side. At least she wasn’t completely alone. But everything changed the day he was diagnosed with autism. The world labeled him defective and unworthy. From that moment on,

existed in their home faded, replaced by cruelty and disregard. Rachel quickly 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 stepmother. Eager to keep his new wife content, their father ensured Rachel and her brother remained invisible. They were forbidden from leaving the house and

acknowledge, they spent their days locked

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

bones, a fear so deep it consumed her. But Brian—he never knew this part of

Rachel kept walking, forcing herself forward as she always had, one

she unexpectedly bumped into Ronald. His expression was

ointment for Tracy. Yet, the

subtle limp in Rachel’s stride, her unsteady and strained gait. He frowned and asked, “Are you

gaze, her voice tight as she answered, “You should go.

the office, he quickly realized that the ointment was

Brian looked up at him, his tone casual but

insistent. “Brian, I only want you to

about to apply it when something inside him shifted. With a quiet sigh, he handed the ointment to Tracy instead. “Use your right hand to apply it yourself,” he said, his voice

it’s too much trouble, I can have Ronald take you

her pride taking over. “No, I can

of connection. But as she watched Brian immersed

with a deep sigh, she

arrived at the modest office, their eyes quickly scanning

had just stepped out of school. Her appearance struck a chord with Rachel, evoking memories of her early days after graduation, when she was just as naïve and

draft,” Rachel said, her voice calm and commanding. The woman across from them looked up in confusion. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?” she

on the table, her gaze unwavering as she locked eyes with the woman. “I think you recognize this,” she said, her voice calm but carrying

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

plagiarism, it’s also an infringement of my intellectual property.” She paused, giving the woman time to absorb her words. “I expect you to retract your submission and acknowledge your error. If

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

her curiosity piqued. “What’s happening? She seems lost. Do you think she’s feigning ignorance,

eyes never leaving the woman. “Let’s wait and

“Alright,” Samira replied.