LOVING THE FORBIDDEN

Some hearts don’t break all at once. Sometimes they shatter one promise at a time.

Rain soaked through every layer of my clothes, but I couldn’t feel the cold anymore. The only thing I could feel was him. Standing beneath the flickering light outside his apartment building, Derek looked nothing like the man who had whisperedI love youagainst my lips just days ago. His dark hair clung to his forehead from the downpour, and the regret written across his face only made the ache in my chest worse.

People hurried past us with umbrellas raised high, pretending not to notice the couple destroying each other in the middle of the sidewalk. I didn’t care.

“Say something,” I demanded, my voice trembling, “Tell me this isn’t how our story ends.”

He closed his eyes for a brief second, “Karina...”

“No.” I pointed a finger at his chest, “Don’t say my name like that.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere except at me, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell her.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“Trying?” I repeated, “You promised you’d leave her.”

His jaw tightened, “It wasn’t that simple.”

I stared at him, unable to believe those were the words coming out of his mouth.

“It wasn’t...” I shook my head, “That’s your excuse?”

“You don’t understand.”

“Then make me understand!”

He sighed, exhaustion settling into every inch of his face.

“We’ve been together for years, Lena. She’s going through a difficult time. I couldn’t just walk away overnight.”

I felt my heart crack, “So instead you decided to keep lying to both of us?”

“I wasn’t lying.”

“No?” I stepped closer. Rain dripped from my eyelashes as I looked into the eyes I’d fallen hopelessly in love with. “What do you call telling me you loved me while going home to another woman every night?”

His silence answered for him. I swallowed against the lump in my throat.

“What about me?” My voice came out smaller this time, “What about my feelings? Didn’t they matter at all?”

“They matter.”

“They clearly don’t.”

“They do!” he shouted, taking a step toward me.

I stepped back, “No. Don’t.”

The hurt in his eyes almost broke me.

“I never wanted this.”

“But you let it happen.”

“I was trying to do the right thing.”

“For who?” Tears blurred my vision. “Because it wasn’t for me.”

He looked away again. That hurt more than anything.

“I should’ve listened to your brother,” he muttered.

I froze.

“What?”

“He warned me.” His voice was barely audible beneath the rain, “He told me never to get involved with you.”

My stomach dropped.

“He said this would destroy everything.”

For a heartbeat, neither of us spoke. The rain filled the silence.

“So that’s it?” I whispered, “You’re choosing her.”

“I’m trying not to hurt anyone.”

I laughed through my tears, “You already did.”

His shoulders slumped, “Karina...”

“No.”

“I love...”

“Don’t.”

The single word cut between us sharper than any knife.

“If you loved me,” I whispered, “you would’ve chosen me.”

His lips parted. Nothing came out, nothing. That silence answered every question I’d been too afraid to ask. The future we’d dreamed about... The apartment we’d joked about decorating. The vacations we’d promised to take. The children we’d argued over naming. None of it was real enough for him to fight for. I wiped at my tears with the sleeve of my jacket.

“I hate you.”

The lie tasted like poison. He flinched as though I’d struck him. Maybe I had. Maybe we were both bleeding in different ways. He reached for my hand.

“Karina, please.”

I shoved him away, hard. He stumbled back one step, shock flashing across his face.

“I hope she’s worth it.”

Then I turned. Every step toward my car felt heavier than the last. I climbed inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it. The sound of the rain against the windshield drowned out everything else except my sobs.

I started the engine. Through the blurred glass, I saw Derek running toward me. He was shouting something, begging and pleading. I couldn’t hear him. I pressed my foot against the accelerator. The tires squealed against the wet pavement as I sped into the storm.

I didn’t look in the rearview mirror. I didn’t see him collapse onto the sidewalk. I didn’t notice the traffic light changing ahead. I didn’t notice the delivery truck barreling through the intersection. All I could think about was the promise he never kept.

I didn’t hear the blaring horn. I didn’t notice the traffic light change from amber to red. One second, I was thinking about Derek and cursing at his charming smile, the way he’d looked at me that morning, the promise we’d made to always find our way back to each other.

The next, a car came out of nowhere. Its headlights filled my vision, impossibly bright, growing larger with every fraction of a second. There wasn’t enough time to scream. My body froze. My hands tightened around the steering wheel, but they wouldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.

No...

Everything slowed. I saw Derek’s face as clearly as if he were sitting beside me. His laugh echoed in my ears. The way he’d brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. The warmth of his embrace. The first time he told me he loved me. Every stolen kiss. Every whispered promise. Every dream we’d built together flashed before my eyes in blinding, broken pieces.

I hate you, Derek.

The impact was merciless. A thunderous explosion of twisting metal tore through the air. Glass burst around me like thousands of razor-sharp stars, suspended in slow motion before crashing into my skin. The force hurled me sideways as the world spun into a violent blur. My seatbelt dug painfully into my chest, stealing the air from my lungs. I could hear nothing but the violent crunch of steel folding in on itself and the frantic pounding of my own heartbeat.

Then even that began to fade. Derek’s face was the last thing I saw.

And then...

Nothing.