Lahat ng Kabanata ng THE ART OF FALLING : Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Chapter Twelve The rain had been relentless all Friday. Sheets of water fell from the sky, drumming against windows and rooftops, as if the heavens themselves were mourning or warning. Nora sat in the art studio, trying desperately to focus on her presentation, but her brush hovered uselessly over the canvas. The colours and lines felt meaningless. Every stroke of paint blurred, smudged by the storm of emotions inside her. Her thoughts refused to stay tethered to anything but him. Jaden’s silence stretched like a canyon she couldn’t cross. No text, no call, no sign. The memory of their last night together the softness, the warmth, the vulnerability played like a cruel movie in her mind. And now… nothing. Every time she thought she understood him, he eluded her. Every time she tried to feel safe, doubt crept in. Every time she hoped, heartbreak seemed imminent. And for the first time, Nora felt truly exposed not to the world, but to herself. The door burst open. Trisha stormed in,

Chapter Fourteen Jaden didn’t sleep that night. He sat alone on the empty basketball court, hoodie soaked in sweat, heart heavier than any weight he’d ever lifted. The court was silent except for the faint hum of distant city traffic and the rhythmic dripping of rain from the bleachers. He had tried words—texts, calls, messages through friends—nothing reached her. Every attempt had been blocked by the invisible wall she had built around herself. So he stopped speaking and started creating. Tuesday afternoon arrived, heavy with tension. Nora walked into the school gallery for her solo art presentation, expecting the usual: the applause, the whispers of admiration, the quiet pride that came with sharing her work. Her pieces portraits of emotions, pain, and raw passion lined the white walls, each canvas a fragment of her soul. She had been nervous, but she had expected comfort, recognition, a moment that belonged solely to her. But one painting wasn’t hers. At the center of the gall

Chapter 4 The kiss should have ended everything. That was what Nora thought what she expected. A brief, awkward moment that would fade into noise and laughter and embarrassment. Something she would replay later in bed, cheeks burning, wondering why she ever agreed to play that stupid game. But instead, the kiss changed the air around her. It lingered. Her lips still tingled as Jaden stepped back, the cheers crashing over them like waves she couldn’t quite hear. The room felt tilted, as though gravity had shifted and she hadn’t caught up yet. Her heart pounded so loudly she wondered if anyone else could hear it. Jaden’s hand dropped from her waist, slow and deliberate, as if he didn’t want to break whatever fragile balance existed between them. His eyes searched her face not rushed, not smug, not amused. Concerned. “You okay?” he asked, his voice low enough that only she could hear. Nora swallowed. Her mouth felt dry, her thoughts scattered like pages torn from a sketchbook. “

CHAPTER 17 Jaden didn’t speak. That was the worst part. He stood there across the courtyard, hands clenched at his sides, jaw tight like he was holding back something dangerous. His eyes stayed on Nora not angry, not loud just wounded in a way that made her chest ache. Nora pulled away from Daniel immediately. “That’s not ” she started, but the words tangled in her throat. Daniel glanced between them, confusion flickering across his face. “I didn’t know you had a ” “Leave,” Jaden said quietly. Daniel blinked. “Look, man, I was just” “Now.” The coldness in Jaden’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried weight. Daniel hesitated, then scoffed lightly, lifting his hands. “Relax. I’ll see you around, Nora.” She didn’t respond. The moment Daniel disappeared beyond the gate, silence fell like a heavy curtain. Jaden turned away. That broke her. “Jaden,” Nora rushed after him, grabbing his arm. “Please just listen.” He stopped but didn’t look at her. “How long?” he asked. “What?”

CHAPTER 19Nora sat on the edge of the campus fountain, the water catching the sunlight in shimmering fragments. It should have been beautiful peaceful even but the reflection of herself staring back felt hollow.Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Daniel. She didn’t even need to read it to feel the anger rising in her chest. The audacity, the entitlement, the way he acted as if the past meant she still owed him something.Her thumb hovered over the screen before she deleted it, just like before.“Everything okay?”She flinched, looking up to see Trisha approaching. Her best friend’s eyes were kind but sharp, scanning her like she could see through every lie and heartbreak.“Not really,” Nora admitted, letting herself collapse into the fountain’s edge, tears threatening again. “I can’t fix this. I can’t fix him.”“Jaden?” Trisha asked softly.Nora nodded. Her voice broke. “He saw… Daniel. And now… I think it’s over. He said he needs space. He didn’t say he hates me, but it fe