Chapter 167: The End? Maybe.

HELENA. Hurt. That was all I felt. It wrapped around me, swallowed me, and seeped into my veins in a strange way, like poison slowly eating away at every bit of hope I had left. It was bad. Worse even. I hadn't felt like this since my parents died. But this... this was worse. Because Aaron had been there through it all. He was supposed to be the one person I could trust. The one who understood me better than anyone else, who saw me when I thought I was invisible. He had picked up the shattered pieces of my heart, glued them back together with his warmth, his words, his promises. Promises that now felt empty and broken. But why did he do this? Why did he lie to me? My thoughts were suffocating, swirling in a chaotic mess I couldn't untangle. The world around me had grown distant, muted. Sounds that should've been sharp and clear felt like they were coming from a mile away, muffled by the crushing weight inside my chest. The silence was unbearable. It was loud in its stillness, reminding me of everything I didn't want to think about. It was a quiet betrayal, a deafening echo of Aaron's lies. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't focus. All I could feel was hurt, raw and overwhelming. It gnawed at me, gnashing teeth that shredded through every memory I had of Aaron—his smile, his laugh, the way he used to look at me when I wasn't paying attention. His lips…his touch. All of it felt like a cruel joke now, as if every moment we shared had been carefully scripted just to lead me to this exact moment of pain. A plan he executed perfectly, leaving me devastated, shattered in ways I never thought possible. What was worse was I had seen it coming, hadn't I? There had been moments, fleeting, but there—when I had caught a glimpse of something in Aaron's eyes. Doubt. Fear. Maybe guilt. But I had brushed it off, convinced myself that we were stronger than whatever had been plaguing him. That *we* were untouchable. Stupid. So, so stupid. The room spun, or maybe I was just lost in my head again. I wasn't sure. All I knew was that everything felt wrong. My body, my thoughts, even the air felt heavy with betrayal. I hugged my knees to my chest, sinking further into the corner of my room. I didn't want to think, didn't want to feel anymore, but the pain wasn't going away. It clung to me like a second skin. There was something darker going on, something he couldn't tell me about. *Bullshit.* That's all it was. Bullshit. He had made choices, deliberate choices that hurt me. And now he wanted to paint them as necessary evils in a bigger, incomprehensible game? I wasn't having shit of it. I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and humorless. How many times had I heard that kind of excuse before? That everything was "for the greater good." But this wasn't some story or fantasy world. This was *me*. He had lied to me. For months, he had kept things from me, let me believe we were on the same side, that we wanted the same things. I had fought beside him, trusted him. *Loved him*. What did I even know about him? The stupidity came again, making me feel less…human. And now? Now I was just another casualty in his secret war. Another piece he had been willing to sacrifice. The knock on the door was soft at first, hesitant, but I didn't answer. I couldn't face anyone. Not like this. Not when I felt so raw and exposed, like one wrong word could break me beyond repair. But the knock came again, more insistent this time. 'Helena?" Luna's voice. I knew that tone. She was angry, but she was trying to hold it together. For me. 'Go away," I whispered, my voice barely audible, even to my own ears. I didn't hear her leave, though. Instead, the door creaked open, and I heard her footsteps approach. She didn't speak right away, probably because she could sense the storm inside me. I couldn't bring myself to look at her. It was too much. Everything was too much. 'I can't believe he did this," she said finally, her voice trembling with barely controlled rage. 'I can't believe Aaron would—" She cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath. 'No, you know what? No. He had to have a reason. There's no way he would just do this to you, Helena. Not without—" I flinched, her words stabbing through the fragile walls I was trying to build around myself. A reason? What reason could possibly justify this? None. No reason would ever make this hurt less. 'I don't care," I muttered, my voice thick with emotion. 'I don't care what his reasons were, Luna. He lied to me. He—" My voice broke, and I pressed my fist against my mouth, willing the tears to stay back. I didn't want to cry anymore. I was tired of crying. Luna sighed, her frustration evident in the way she paced the room. I could hear her shoes scuffing against the floor as she moved, the sound loud in the suffocating silence. 'I get that you're hurt," she said after a long pause, her voice softer now. 'But Helena, you have to believe that Aaron... I don't think he wanted this to happen. I don't think he wanted to hurt you." I laughed again, that same bitter, hollow sound escaping me. 'Doesn't matter, does it? He did. He hurt me, Luna. He—" My breath hitched, the weight in my chest pressing harder, making it difficult to breathe. I wasn't even sure I had words left for what I felt. 'It doesn't matter what he wanted or didn't want. It's done. And now I..." I didn't know how to finish that sentence. I didn't know what came next. Luna's pacing stopped abruptly, and I felt the bed dip as she sat down beside me. Her hand reached for mine, tentative, but I pulled away, curling further into myself. I didn't want to be touched. I didn't want to be comforted. I just wanted the pain to stop, for everything to stop. 'Helena, please..." Luna's voice cracked. 'I don't know what to say to make this better. I don't think I can, but... I'm here. Okay? I'm here for you." But it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. I felt like I was drowning in an ocean of hurt, and no matter how hard I tried to surface, I kept getting pulled under. And I was so, so tired. 'I just... I just want to be alone," I whispered, closing my eyes. 'Please, Luna. Just... leave me." There was a moment of hesitation, a long pause where I could almost hear her heart breaking for me. But then I heard her sigh, heard her get up and walk to the door. 'I'll be right outside," she said quietly before leaving the room. The door clicked shut, and I was alone again. Alone with my thoughts, with the pain that clung to me like a second skin, suffocating and relentless. I didn't know how long I sat there, staring at the wall, feeling the weight of everything crushing down on me. Minutes? Hours? Time seemed to blur, and I didn't care. I was too tired to care. Eventually, the hurt started to dull, not because it had gone away, but because I had nothing left to give it. I was empty. Numb. And maybe that was better. Maybe it was easier to feel nothing at all. ****** Laying back on the bed, I stared at the ceiling, my mind void of thoughts now. The pain was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but it felt distant, like something happening to someone else. I didn't have the energy to feel it anymore. I didn't have the energy for anything. I closed my eyes, sinking into the numbness, letting it wrap around me like a protective cocoon. I didn't want to feel anymore. And maybe, if I stayed like this long enough, I wouldn't have to. To be continued…..