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.

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“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…

too, was terrified of the dark, that the sensation

from the beginning, their lives had been shaped by loss. Their mother

she wasn’t completely alone. But everything changed the day he was diagnosed with autism. The

given, and survival meant enduring, adapting, and expecting nothing from anyone. Everything worsened when Moira Haynes

away like secrets, too shameful to acknowledge, they spent their days locked in attics, cellars, and windowless rooms where darkness

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

her bones, a fear so deep it consumed her. But Brian—he never

walking, forcing herself forward as she always had, one painful step at a

out of the elevator, she unexpectedly bumped into Ronald. His expression was one of

sent him to buy the ointment for Tracy. Yet, the sting of that realization

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

her voice tight as she answered, “You should

returned to the office, he quickly

Brian looked up at him, his tone

yet insistent. “Brian, I only want you to

a quiet sigh, he handed the ointment to Tracy instead. “Use

“If it’s too much trouble, I can have Ronald take you to the hospital,” Brian offered,

taking over.

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

tightened in quiet annoyance, and with a deep sigh, she decided to leave. There would be other moments, she

and Samira arrived at the modest office,

stepped out

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

eyes with the

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

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

mix of confusion and realization.

seems lost. Do you think she’s feigning ignorance, or is she

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

“Alright,” Samira replied.