You Won't See Me Fall Apart Novels & Stories

Leo notices my expression and falls into step beside me without asking a question. My heart aches, my pulse burns, but my spine stays straight. If my world is going to shatter, I’ll make sure I’m the one holding the hammer.

I wanted him to see that I was still fighting, even if I was falling apart. I felt the first crack in my heart. It was deep and sharp. I knew I couldn't keep this up much longer

She could see her reflection on the screen when the screen was dark. "Does an unmarried 30-year-old woman look so pitiful?" Irene sighed and took a deep breath.

"Tsk, look at you. Dressed in rags and carrying that filthy sack. The bank isn't a place for beggars! Don't even think about coming to me for service. You reek. I only deal with high-value clients." The sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts. When I blinked, the first thing I saw was my best friend, Madison Doyle, pinching her nose with a look of utter disgust as she turned away. Outside the glass partition stood an older couple, their faces etched with worry. Despite the humiliation, they held onto their money bag tightly, refusing to leave.

She bent forward, hands on her knees, breathing too fast. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I thought I was ready, but I’m not.” Jaden crouched in front of her immediately, blocking her from view. “Hey. Look at me.” She did. “This isn’t failure,” he said firmly. “This is reality, catching up slower than healing. And that’s okay.” Her eyes burned. “I hate that I feel weak.” “You’re not weak,” he said. “You came back. You tried. That takes more strength than staying hidden.”

When I turn I realize it’s Drew and he’s looking at me like he’s scared I’ll fall into a thousand pieces that he would never be able to put together. “I-” I can’t get the words out because he pulls me into his chest and holds me there. His fingers stroke my hair before gently massaging my scalp. The tears don’t stop either, it drains his shirt but he doesn’t seem to mind. He doesn’t ask me to stop crying either, he holds me and waits for me to let it all out. Only problem is this hollow in my chest has come to stay. “You’ll be alright Sugar,” he says. But even he is unsure. Maybe it’s because deep down we know that this loss is the type you can never recover from.

Somewhere in the haze, I thought I heard someone calling me, desperate. “Penny. Penny, answer me!” I wanted to wake, but my eyelids weighed a thousand pounds. A crushing suffocation wrapped around me, as if I were sinking in the deep, dark ocean. Falling. Falling. Just as I was about to lose consciousness entirely, a large hand appeared and wrenched me free. I opened my eyes to a hospital ceiling. Adrian was slumped beside me, his face worn to the bone, like he hadn't rested in a very long time.

I don't need anyone to be worried about me. I don’t know how long I sit there, crying into my hands, but eventually, the tears slow. My chest still aches but the fog in my head starts to clear. I can’t afford to fall apart. Not at this time.Logan is counting on me and I won’t let him down. I wipe my face with the back of my hand and force myself to stand. The lab is quiet as if calling me to do what I do best.

“This is not about me.” “No, it never is.” I had said too much. But I didn’t take it back. Not this time. He stepped closer. Lowered his voice slightly. “We are weeks away from fixing everything.” Fixing. Like my life was something broken that needed repair. “You don’t get to fall apart now.” My chest tightened. “I’m not falling apart.” “Then act like it.” There it was again. Act better. Do more. Be enough. I swallowed. “I’m doing everything I can.”

Some things stay broken forever. I didn’t know if we were one of those things. "I don’t know if I can." The words left my mouth before I even realized I was saying them, my voice too quiet, too fragile, too fucking exposed. And Travis? He flinched. Just barely. Just enough for me to see it. That almost ruined me. Because Travis Cole doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t break. Doesn’t fucking fall apart. But now? Now, he looked like a man on the verge of losing the only thing that ever mattered to him.