Chapter 15 – The Heartbreak That Changed Everything

Damien was gone.

And so was I.

It had been weeks.

Weeks of silence, unanswered messages, and an unbearable emptiness in my chest.

At first, I waited.

Every morning, I woke up expecting to see his motorcycle outside my house.

Every lunch, I looked at the seat beside me, waiting for him to slide in like he always did.

Every night, I stared at my phone, hoping for a text, a call—anything.

But nothing came.

And little by little… I stopped waiting.

I stopped going to school.

At first, Mom tried to be gentle about it.

"Sweetheart, you need to get up today."

I’d just turn over in bed, staring blankly at the wall.

"Aurora, please eat something."

I barely moved.

Dad tried to be firm at first.

"Enough of this. He’s gone. You have to move on."

I didn’t react.

And when even Noah stopped teasing me, I knew I wasn’t fooling anyone.

I was broken.

One night, I overheard Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen.

I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. But I couldn’t sleep.

I barely slept at all anymore.

Mom’s voice was soft, worried.

"I’ve never seen her like this before, James."

Dad sighed. "It’s her first heartbreak."

Mom’s voice wavered. "It’s more than that. She’s not just sad. She’s… gone."

Dad went quiet.

Then he muttered, "I never liked that boy. But I never thought he’d do this to her."

I curled into myself, pressing my face into my pillow.

I wanted to scream.

Because they didn’t get it.

This wasn’t just heartbreak.

Damien didn’t just leave me.

He vanished.

And that meant something was wrong.

After two weeks of hiding, I finally forced myself out of bed.

I went back to school.

Not because I wanted to.

Not because I was ready.

But because staring at my bedroom walls wasn’t bringing him back.

So I put on my uniform, grabbed my bag, and walked through those school doors like a ghost.

Everything felt wrong.

His seat in class was empty.

His usual spot by his locker was untouched.

His presence—his voice—his warmth—all gone.

And I… was nothing.

Of course, it didn’t take long.

I should have known.

Without Damien around, I wasn’t untouchable anymore.

The first person to take advantage of that?

Jessica Carter.

"Well, well, look who finally crawled out of her cave," she sneered as I walked past her.

I didn’t stop.

Didn’t acknowledge her.

Didn’t react.

But she wasn’t done.

"I told you he’d disappear."

I kept walking.

"You really thought he was serious about you, huh?"

Something inside me cracked.

"Poor little Aurora. Thought she was special. But turns out, she was just another one of his toys."

I stopped.

Dead in my tracks.

The hallway went silent.

Jessica smirked, waiting for my reaction.

Waiting for me to snap.

But I didn’t.

Because there was nothing left to break.

I just turned, looked her straight in the eye, and said—

"At least I was something to him. You never even mattered."

Her smirk faded instantly.

I didn’t stay to watch her reaction.

I just walked away.

That night, Noah knocked on my door.

I barely looked at him.

He sighed, sitting at the foot of my bed.

"You can’t live like this forever, Aurora."

I didn’t answer.

Because honestly?

I didn’t know how to live any other way anymore.

It happened a few nights later.

I was walking home alone, the cool night air brushing against my skin.

I should have felt numb.

Should have felt nothing.

But for the first time in weeks, I felt something.

I felt… watched.

I stopped, looking over my shoulder.

The street was empty.

The trees didn’t move.

The wind was still.

But deep in my chest, something whispered.

Something told me—

Damien isn’t as far away as you think.

I swallowed hard, gripping my bag.

No.

It’s just my imagination.

Right?

I forced myself to keep walking.

One step.

Then another.

But the entire way home, I couldn’t shake the feeling.

Like somewhere in the shadows…

Someone was watching.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***