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…

realized that she, too, was terrified of the dark, that the sensation of sudden drops and falling sent a wave of panic through

day, but from the beginning, their lives had been shaped by loss.

was her only source of comfort. The harsh 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. The world

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

shameful to acknowledge, they spent their days

discovery, and discovery meant punishment. If Moira ever

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

forward as she always had, one painful

Ronald. His expression was one

in his hand. She said nothing, the silence heavy between them. It was obvious Brian had sent him to buy the ointment for Tracy. Yet, the sting of that realization still hit her with a sharp twist. It wasn’t for her, not

the elevator, he noticed the subtle limp in Rachel’s stride, her unsteady and strained gait.

she answered, “You should

Ronald returned to the office, he quickly realized that the ointment was

up at him, his tone casual but purposeful. “Ronald, apply this for

yet insistent. “Brian, I only want you to do

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

I

over.

the ointment, she lingered, silently hoping for a moment of attention, perhaps a sign of connection. But as she watched Brian immersed in his work, his concentration

lips tightened in quiet annoyance, and with a deep sigh, she decided

modest office, their eyes quickly

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

from them looked up in confusion. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?” she asked, her voice laced with

locked eyes with the woman. “I think you recognize this,” she said, her voice calm but

surprise as she examined the draft. “How did you know?”

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

sat in stunned silence, her expression a mix of confusion and realization. She struggled

She seems lost. Do you think she’s

composed, her eyes never leaving the woman.

“Alright,” Samira replied.