Shattered memories.

Immediately Hannah kicked Isabella out of Jackson's apartment, the cloud in the sky immediately began to turn dark.

The once bright and beautiful sky was filled with dark clouds as mighty wind began to blow, almost as if the heavens were upset with the turn of events.

Isabella gulped down her saliva as she continued to remain still, pondering if all that had happened to her was just a dream or if it was some sort of nightmare.

Then, an ominous thunderstorm struck the sky, its lightning reflexes were so bright in the sky and within the next seconds, a heavy downpour of rain began.

It droplets landed above the clothes of Isabella but she kept standing, hoping that someone… at least anyone would just wake her up from the cruel nightmare that had befallen her.

The rain droplets drenched Isabella's hair and clothes, clinging them to her body.

‘Ding Ding!’

Amidst the relentless downpour, Isabella's phone began to ring, the piercing sound cutting through the noise of the rain, prompting her to avert her gaze towards her side pocket.

For a while, Isabella gaze at nothing in particular but the ringing tone from her phone was able to snap her back to reality.

Slowly, she pulled her phone away from her pocket and without gazing at the caller ID, she promptly picked up the phone call, placing it beside her ear.

"Isabella, won’t you come home? It’s raining heavily and I don’t want you to catch a cold—"

Isabella mother was unable to complete her speech because Isabella absurdly hung up the phone call.

Isabella stood still as she allowed her thoughts to roam around when all of a sudden, the faint footstep from behind her was suddenly heard.

Slowly, Isabella turned her gaze around.

It was Hannah and Jackson and they had a big black umbrella to shield them from the rain.

“Jack… Jackson. Please tell Hannah that you truly love me.” Isabella sputtered, rushing towards Jackson as she grabbed his wrist. “Tell her that you want me, and only…”

“Get your filthy hands off me!” Jackson yelled, shoving Isabella onto the wet ground.

Quickly, Isabella rose as she tried to plead with Jackson but the more she pleaded, the more she was being shoved onto the ground like a piece of garbage.

Jackson sneered at Isabella, his words dripping with scorn. “You're delusional, Isabella,” he said, his gaze full of contempt as he climbed into his car. “I will never love you.”

Without another word, he slammed the door shut.

Beside him, Hannah slid into the passenger seat, and her silence shattered Isabella heart.

Jackson accelerated the car engine as he drove out of the compound, leaving the devastated Isabella on the wet ground that he had shoved her into.

“Arrrrghhh!” Isabella cried out, slamming her hands on the ground which caused water from the ground to splash onto her body. “What did I do to deserve such a thing? Who did I offend in this world? Why don’t I ever get to live my life happily?”

As Isabella continued to question herself as she cried out loud, the raindroplet collided with the tears on her cheeks while her heart felt as if it was being hit with a hammer.

Isabella kept wailing in the rain until eventually, she felt exhausted in shading any more tears.

For the past month, all Isabella had done was shed endless tears, breaking over and over again.

Now, she slowly rose from the floor, biting down on her lower lip to keep herself from trembling.

Without a second glance at the apartment that had shattered her heart, she turned and walked away.

Isabella headed straight to a nearby shore, as the rain kept on pouring, soaking through her clothes.

She stood there, unmoving, lost in the memories of Jackson—the moments they had shared, the love she had believed was real.

‘Why did he leave me for my best friend?’ She inwardly questioned herself but no matter how hard she tried to come up with an answer, there was no valid reason.

‘Why is life cruel to me?’

The entire world around her seems to freeze in time as she ponders on the good moments that she had spent with Jackson.

And finally…

An hour later, as the rain finally ceased, Isabella let out a heavy sigh and turned away from the shore.

Her soaked clothes clung to her skin, but she barely felt the chill as she made her way to a nearby boutique.

The moment she stepped inside, a sales representative approached her, offering a polite smile.

Isabella met her gaze and said boldly, “I want to go to a club.”

The sales representative smiled warmly and guided Isabella toward the section filled with clubbing outfits.

Without a second thought, she grabbed a pair of black shorts and a white belly shirt, her movements quick and decisive.

Without hesitation, she turned and headed straight for the dressing room, determined to shed the weight of her heartbreak—if only for a night.

Isabella peeled off her soaked dress, letting it drop to the floor before swiftly slipping into the black shorts.

The hem barely reached mid-thigh, but she didn’t care. She pulled on the white belly shirt next, the fabric hugging her frame, exposing just enough skin to make her feel different—lighter, freer.

Stepping out of the dressing room, she walked straight to the counter, paid for the outfit, and without a second thought, tossed her damp clothes into a nearby trash can.

Tonight, she wasn’t carrying anything from her past with her.

Exhaling!

As she stepped outside the boutique, the night wind blew past her body, allowing her black hair that had fallen above her shoulder to dance in accordance with the wind.

‘I need to visit a club.’ She mused within herself.

Isabella's eyes roamed around the busy night street in search of a nearby club because she didn’t want to stay out too late.

Just as if heaven had heard her silent prayer, the loud sound of music from a building suddenly caught Isabella's attention.

She wrapped her hands across her stomach, hastening her steps until finally, she finally arrived at the club.

The loud sound of booming music echoed through the entire building as different individuals danced to the sound of the music.

The club has a colorful beams of neon bulbs dancing across the pulsing crowd.

Isabella gulped down her saliva as she navigated through the crowd until she arrived at the mini bar inside the club.

She took her seat before wrapping her legs across each other, as she quickly pulled her phone from within her handbag before going through the text message from her mother.

"Isabella, hope everything is going well? And by the way, the weather is pretty cold and your stepfather, Sebastian, won’t be home. Don’t you think it would be nice for us to have some family bonding? Maybe a cup of hot chocolate or tea?”

As the eyes of Isabella roamed around the message, tears uncontrollably began to make their way out of her eyes.

“Hey! What drink would you like?”

Slowly, Isabella raised her head only to see a man who seemed to be in his mid-thirties.

His appearance was flawless, his black crew-cut hair neatly combed, his crisp white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers exuding an air of sophistication and authority.

But it was his ambers eyes, fixed with a fierce intensity on Isabella, that truly commanded the room.

The man had just questioned Isabella about what drink she would like and his question had caught her off guard.

“I… I don’t need anything,” Isabella mumbled, using the back of her hands to wipe the tears that had kissed her cheeks.

‘Interesting!’ The young man thought to himself.

He visited this club because he wanted to have one last fun before he took his life seriously, and all through the time that he was inside the clubhouse, ladies had been throwing themselves at him.

But there, his eyes caught a glimpse of a lady in black shorts and a white belly shirt.

For an unknown reason, he finds her attractive and he decides to walk up towards her.

“I noticed that you have been staring at your phone for quite some time now. How about I take you to a place that would make you forget all your worries.” He purred, his voice was low and seductive as he slowly reached out his hands and placed it above Isabella's thigh.

‘Boom!’

Unexpectedly, the heart of Isabella suddenly began to beat rapidly beneath her shirt and just as if she was compelled, she rose from her chair, allowing the man who she knows nothing about to lead the way.