Chapter 1

Kathrine’s Point of View

Kathrine stood in silence in the church. The room was filled with mourners. Family and friends gathered together. Their hushed whispers and tearful eyes reflected the unfortunate loss that had befallen onto them. But for Kathrine, the pain was unbearable, as she had just said her final goodbyes to her beloved boyfriend, Thomas.

For five years, Kathrine and Thomas had shared a deep and passionate love. They had built their lives together, creating unforgettable memories. Dreams of having a family together. A future filled with love and happiness. The bond that they had created was unbreakable. They had a bond that seemed no one could come between them.

But fate had other plans for them. Fate had dealt them a cruel hand. Taking Thomas away from her far too soon. His sudden passing had broken Kathrine. The thought of ever loving someone else is something she could not bear. Loving someone as much as she had loved him. Her world was crashing around her. The doubt of her ever coming out of this hole of sadness scared her.

As she stood there, surrounded by the mournful faces of his friends and family, Kathrine’s mind wandered back to the beautiful memories that they had created. Every trouble patch that they had to face together. She remembered their first date, the first time they had ever kissed. The first hug.

The sound of his laughter played through her mind. Making her smile, but the tears came running down her face.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” Dylan asked with concern.

“I’m okay. But for the fact that the love of my life is gone. Can’t be doing better than this.” Kathrine said wiping away her tears.

“I wish I knew what to do to make the pain go away,” Dylan said as she hugged Kathrine.

“It’s okay. It will get better. Right?” Kathrine said with a quivering tone.

“I hope so. Come on the service is about to start.” Dylan wrapped her arm around Kathrine and made their way to their seats.

As the funeral service began, Kathrine clung to the memories of their time together. She listened to the eulogies, each word spoken was a painful reminder that Thomas would never return to her. Tears started to stream down her face, her grief exposed to everyone.

The ceremony was finally coming to an end. Everyone stood up from their seats and started moving to the outside to where the casket containing Thomas, the man Kathrine loved, was prepared to be buried. But as the time came for the final farewell, Kathrine’s emotions overwhelmed her. The thought of watching Thomas being placed underground was unbearable.

With a heavy heart, Kathrine turned away, unable to see the sad truth. Kathrine scrunched her tissue tightly as she heard the tump of the casket touching the ground. The sound of shovels being stuck into the gravel, made her heart ache.

One by one everyone left. But Kathrine was left alone. Staring at Thomas’s gravestone. She placed her hand on the gravestone and closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I wish our love story didn’t have to come to an end.” Kathrine said with a heavy heart and turned around and walked away.

***

Finally arriving home, Kathrine made her way into her apartment, collapsing onto her bed. Her body trembling with sorrow. Tears started to stream down her face, each one carrying a piece of her shattered heart. In the darkness of her room, she lay under her blanket, she had cried until her eyes were swollen, her face red.

“How could anyone do this to you?” She said as exhaustion took over. She let out a yawn. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

***

Some time had passed. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, but the pain of losing Thomas still remained with her. Kathrine learned to navigate through life with a heavy heart, but she learned how to smile through the pain. The loss.

However the world moved on, and life continued. Kathrine’s love for Thomas remained in her heart and soul.

And so, Kathrine continued her life. Pretending nothing is wrong. She had to because she knew that Thomas would want her to.

She vowed to honor his memory by living a life filled with love and adventure. Though the pain of his absence will never fade, she would strive to find joy. To find her happiness again.

 Dylan decided to pay a visit to Kathrine, she knew Kathrine had been feeling down lately. Dylan wanted to bring some joy and excitement into her life. The knock on the door was loud and Kathrine jumped out of bed to answer it.

“What?” Kathrine said with annoyance in her tone.

“Wow! Is that the way to talk to your best friend? Fuck. Who has your panties in a twist.” Dylan said as she walked past Kathrine.

“What are you doing here? I’m not in the mood for people.” Kathrine said then returned to her bed.

“Nope! Get up. You are not going to come home every day and just lay in your bed. You need to get out and live your life sweety.” Dylan said as she pulled the covers off Kathrine.

“No, I’m happy in my bed,” Kathrine said as she tried pulling back the covers.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m not just going to stand around and watch you waste your life sulking.” Dylan said with anger.

“What do you want me to do? Go out and pretend that nothing is wrong.” Kathrine said as she sat up.

“Yes. One day you will find true happiness again. But it’s not going to happen with you staying in bed every time. Get up and take a shower. We’re going out tonight.” Dylan said while making her way to Kathrine’s closet. Scanning her outfits.

“Urgghh. I don’t want to go out.” Kathrine said with annoyance.

“Now!” Dylan said then pointed to the bathroom.

“Fine. I’ll go shower.” Kathrine said then climbed out of bed, dragging her feet as she made her way to the bathroom.

“Good, I’ll find you something cute to wear,” Dylan said with a warm smile.

“Urgghh!” Kathrine yelled from the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Dylan knew Kathrine needed a break from the monotonous routine, a chance to let loose and forget about everything. Kathrine knew Dylan had her best interest at heart. Kathrine knew she needed to break her cycle. She trusted Dylan’s judgment.

Together, they prepared for the night ahead, choosing their outfits and ensuring they were ready to make it an unforgettable night.

As they finished, they looked at each other making sure everything was perfect. From the hair to their make-up, and the outfits that they had chosen. They grabbed their belongings and set out to as many clubs as they could.

Calling a cab, they climb in and set out to the first club, Smash Bar. A bar where when you finish your drink you are allowed to break the glass afterwards. This was Dylan’s favorite bar. When arriving they made their way inside, and finally went straight to the bar, ordering themselves a Bitter Hope. Adding a double shot of Cointreau.

Downing the first drink of the night, which hit Kathrine straight between the eyes. “Wow, forgot what that type of alcohol tastes like.” She said while giggling and ordering them a second one.

“Let go dance!” Dylan said, as she grabbed her drink from the bar and set off to the dance floor. Leaving Kathrine standing alone at the bar waiting for her drink.

“I’ll be right there!” She said and turned her attention back to the bar.

Kathrine tapped her index finger on the bar counter. For some reason, her drink was taking longer than the first one to be made. Staring around, Kathrine caught a man looking at her from the other side of the bar. She pretended not to see him, but the man made his way closer to her.

 “Hey there beautiful.” The man greeted her with a warm smile.

“Oh, hi,” Kathrine said giving him a glance and turning her attention to the dancefloor. Not noticing her drink had arrived.

While Kathrine’s eyes were fixed on Dylan, the man threw something into her drink without her noticing. “Hey, is this your drink?” The man asked as he tapped Kathrine on the arm.

“Yeah, thanks,” Kathrine replied as she took money from her purse to pay.

“Don’t worry, I got this one.” He said giving her a wink.

“Thanks,” Kathrine said taking her drink and making her way to Dylan.

As the night progressed, after Kathrine took a sip from her drink. She noticed it had a weird taste but continued drinking it anyway. After a few minutes, Kathrine didn’t feel well, though maybe she had too much to drink. Dylan noticed she was stumbling, and Kathrine’s speech was slurred.

“Hey, are you okay? Are you drunk already?” Dylan asked with a big smile.

“No… No…” Kathrine stuttered, losing her balance Dylan grabbed her. “I’m…”