The heartbreak

Seline

I break free from Luca, the man who was standing beside me laughing as though my suffering amused him. The sound of his laughter cut deep into me, not just in my ears but into my very heart. It was cruel, mocking, and filled with triumph.

“Why are you doing this, Luca?” I ask, my voice trembling as my chest rose and fell with panic.

“I still love you,” he says with a twisted grin, his tone shameless and selfish. “And I want you back. So there is no way I will allow another man in your life.” he then adds.

His words were venom. How dare he stand here, claiming love, when all he had ever given me was betrayal and hurt? I clenched my fists, anger burning inside me, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart.

“You are sick, pathetic,” I say, my voice sharp even though inside I was trembling. I take my handbag from the where I had placed it and began rushing outside. My steps were hurried because all I could think about was Jude.

The image of his face when he saw Luca near me kept haunting me. I knew him too well, he must have been torn apart inside, thinking what he saw was real. My stomach tightened painfully. He must have believed every single word coming out of that man’s mouth. He must think I betrayed him.

“No… no, I have to explain,” I whisper to myself as I scanned the street. My eyes darted around desperately, but Jude was nowhere to be seen.

The streetlamps cast lonely circles of yellow light on the pavement, but there was no sign of him. My heart dropped lower and lower with every second that passed without finding him.

I bit my lower lip hard to stop the sob that threatened to escape. If he wasn’t here, then there was only one place he could have gone, home. He must have left me. He didn’t even fight for me. The thought was like a blade in my chest.

“What sort of a boyfriend do I have?” I muttered bitterly to myself, my voice shaking with both pain and anger. “He just left me… believing that man. Believing him over me. He didn’t even give me a chance. A chance to explain myself." I say tears dropping from my eyes.

A small part of me felt betrayed by Jude himself. Was his love so fragile, so weak, that it could be destroyed by the lies of a man who didn’t matter? Did our two years together mean so little to him that he could walk away without even demanding the truth from me?

But then again, I knew Jude. I knew how deeply he loved me, how protective he was. If he truly believed what he saw, then he must have been completely shattered. His silence, his sudden disappearance, it was his way of bleeding inside.

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone from my bag. I dialed his number, praying he would pick up, praying he would let me explain.

“Please, please, my love, answer,” I whispered into the night.

But he didn’t. The call rang, then cut. My heart sank deeper. I tried again, my hope flickering like a candle in the wind, but once again, the call ended before I even heard his voice.

By the third time I tried, my desperation had peaked. And then the worst happened. The call went straight to voicemail. Meaning he had switched off his phone.

I swallowed hard, tears stinging my eyes as I flagged down a cab. I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. I had to see him. I had to explain, face to face. My love for him was too great to let it all end like this, destroyed by a lie.

Inside the cab, my hands fidgeted restlessly with my bag, my nails digging into the leather straps. My thoughts were a storm of fear and pain. Will he end our relationship? Will tonight be the end of us?

The thought sent shivers all over my body. My chest tightened so painfully that I had to press my palm against it. The cab seemed to move so slowly, each streetlight we passed stretching the journey into eternity.

I leaned back against the seat, my throat tight. “We’ve been together for over two years,” I whispered to myself. “He can’t just throw that away. He can’t. I love him too much. I can’t live without him.”

* * * * * * * *

The taxi finally stopped in front of Jude’s house. I paid the fare with trembling fingers and stepped out. The neighborhood was silent, wrapped in the heavy quietness of late night. It was so still that even the air felt heavy.

His gate was locked. Of course it was. The iron bars stood tall, cold, and unwelcoming. It was as if Jude had built a wall not just around his home but around his heart as well.

But I was persistent. I had to see him. My heels clicked against the pavement as I approached the gate and pressed the bell. The sound echoed in the silent night, sharp and urgent. I pressed it again and again until finally I saw him.

He appeared at the gate, his face shadowed in the dim light, his eyes cold and unreadable. My heart ached just looking at him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone void of the warmth I had always known.

“My love,” I whispered, already feeling the tears building. “Open the gate for me first. It’s cold out here.” My voice broke with pleading.

“Go home,” he says firmly. “I don’t want to talk to you. You are not welcome here anymore. And don’t ever contact me again. From today, we don’t know each other. We are strangers in front of each other’s eyes.” he then adds.

His words crashed into me like thunder. My knees almost gave way. My chest ached so badly it was as if he had torn out my heart with his bare hands.

“What do you mean we are strangers? Jude, do you want to throw away the two years we shared? Please, don’t do this to me.” My voice was barely audible, choked with tears.

He didn’t falter. His jaw was set, his voice cold. “I am breaking up with you, Seline. It’s over. You betrayed me first, so just go home. We are done.” he says.

Each word cut me open. He turned to walk away, and the sight of his back retreating was more painful than anything I had ever felt.

“No!” I screamed, falling to my knees, my palms pressed against the cold ground. “Jude, I don’t know where that man came from. He is not my man. You are my man, my love! I love you so much. Please reconsider your decision. I have never cheated on you. I was always faithful. Until this very day.”

My sobs were loud now, desperate, raw. But Jude didn’t even glance back. He just kept walking, his figure fading into the shadows of his compound until he was gone.

He left me there, outside his gate, alone. The night was freezing, and the loneliness was unbearable. Tears blurred my vision, streaking hot trails down my cheeks only to be cooled by the harsh night air.

“What sort of a man does that?” I whispered, broken.

With a heavy heart, I finally stood, my legs trembling under my weight. My body felt weak, drained, as though I had lost all strength to fight.

The streets were empty. No cabs passed by this late, and the darkness of the night pressed against me. Fear gripped me, fear of the night, fear of the cold, but above all, fear of the emptiness that Jude had left inside me.

My birthday. My special day. It had ended in tragedy. I had expected laughter, love, warmth, but instead, I found myself walking alone in the freezing night, my heart torn into pieces.

“You’re so mean, Jude,” I whispered through my sobs. “So mean. How could you end us like this?”

I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked, my legs heavy, my body numb. My tears refused to stop. I wanted nothing more than to bury myself in my bed, hide under my sheets, and cry until my eyes could no longer produce tears.

And then, like a miracle, I saw headlights in the distance. A car was approaching, its beams cutting through the darkness. My heart leapt. Maybe this was my chance to get home.

But then doubt struck. It’s a personal car. Why would the driver stop for me? I slowed my steps, my hope trembling as much as my body did in the cold.

The car slowed, then stopped right in front of me. My breath caught in my throat.

A man stepped out, his voice carrying genuine concern. “Where are you going at this time of the night? And the way you’re dressed, it’s too cold for you.”

My tears spilled over again. Maybe heaven had decided to send someone to rescue me from this nightmare.

“Take me home, please, sir,” I whispered, my voice breaking as sobs shook me.

“Come,” he said gently, walking toward me. He reached out and held my hand. “You’re freezing.” he then says.

He slipped his coat around my shoulders. The warmth enveloped me, easing the cold but not the ache inside my chest.

“Thank you,” I managed to say in between sobs.

He opened the car door for me, and I stepped inside. My voice trembled as I gave him directions to my house. He nodded, started the engine, and we drove into the night.

But even as the car carried me away, my heart stayed behind, broken, shattered, left in pieces at Jude’s gate.