Mckin

l. Not to text. But to silence. I muted his notifications, unfollowed his social media accounts. It wasn't enough to delete him, not yet. But it was a start. A conscious decision to sever the di

ife, a new beginning. I clung to that number, that promise, like a lifeline. I had t

yneth, undoubtedly painting the town red, celebrating their impending engagement party. I moved through t

ss plate. The taste was bland, tasteless, much like the life I was leaving behind.

f dread tightening in my stomach. I

m dancing, his eyes fixed on her with an adoration that had never been mine. The last one was of them, heads together, sharing a hushed secret, th

re enjoying yourselves." My smile was a lie, my heart a raw, bleeding woun

I did, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was

ek?" Chloe, our class president, messaged. "One

Leo. "Kianna, you're coming, rig

who had known me before Jordan's shadow had consumed my world. I wa

ix of excitement and sorrow. "

ing!" "Can't wait to catch up!" Then, the inevitable question.

everyone assumed was my boyfriend, even when he wasn't. "Seriously, you two are practically inseparable," I remembered Sarah saying onc

n't for him. It was for the girl I used to be, the one who still believed in fa

tective older brother, the ever-present shadow. They didn't see the silent tears, the unrequited love,

ghtmares. Jordan was there, his eyes cold, his words sharp. "You're nothing," he sneered, his face distorted, "with

he memory of his kindness, his protection, the fleeting moments of warmth, had kept me tethered. It was the slow poison, the gradual erosion of self, that had been truly insidious. The loss of

ur hours. Time to erase

was heavy, but the weight felt symbolic, a burden I was ready to shed. I walked downstairs

dan and Gwyneth, back from their evening out, stood silhouetted a

sharp, his eyes narrowed as he took in the suit

," I lied, forcing a casual shrug. "Just... getting rid of

it." Before I could protest, he strode to the outdoor bin, a large, metal container used for household waste, and with a gr

ns of my entire life with him. My diary, my letters, every cherished memory, now at the bottom of a garbage bin. A wave

eed to lighten up. You're always so serious." He turned to me, his gaze softening slightly. "You know, y

had no life outside of him, no ambitions beyond his protection. He saw me as a dependent, a ward, never

xty painful minut

orm under a calm facade. My back was ramrod strai

" I heard Gwyneth ask,

. "She's always been a bit dramatic. She needs to

t was exactly what I was becoming. And with each dismissive word, he was pushing me closer to that freedom. I took a deep, s