A Path of Revenge Through Time

Chapter 6:Broken Soul

Shanelle couldn’t breathe as she stumbled down the empty hallway. The memory of Darren’s lips on Vivian replayed endlessly, each repetition slicing her deeper. She pressed her hand against her chest as though she could hold her heart together before it shattered completely. But no matter how hard she tried, the pain slipped through her fingers like broken glass. Behind her, laughter still echoed in her head, cruel and unforgiving. Love had turned into poison, and it was eating her alive.

Every step she took felt heavier than the last. The halls that once carried her confidence now suffocated her with shame. Her classmates’ voices seemed to follow, even though no one was there. She could almost hear them whispering about the girl who had lost it all. The thought made her legs buckle, but she refused to collapse. She had to keep moving, even if she didn’t know where.

When she finally reached the bathroom, she clung to the sink like it was the only thing holding her up. Her reflection stared back, pale and broken, a stranger wearing her face. Her eyes were swollen with tears she hadn’t noticed shedding. The girl who once glowed with certainty now looked hollow, drained of everything she believed in. She wanted to scream at the mirror, to demand an answer. But mirrors only reflected pain—they never healed it.

Shanelle thought back to the library, to the day she met Darren for the first time. His smile had felt like sunlight, pulling her out of her solitude and into warmth she thought would last forever. Now that same smile belonged to someone else, twisted into something cruel. She wondered if his kindness had ever been real. Or had she been blinded by her own hope? The questions clawed at her, offering no peace.

At home, her room became both sanctuary and prison. She locked the door, shutting out the world, afraid it would see her crumbling. The walls that once held posters of her achievements now felt like witnesses to her humiliation. She buried her face in her pillow, muffling the sobs that refused to stop. Every memory of Darren turned into venom, seeping into her veins. She hated that she still loved him, even as he destroyed her.

The pain wasn’t just heartbreak—it was betrayal, a wound deeper than any physical cut. Darren hadn’t just kissed Vivian; he had made Shanelle question her worth. Was she not enough? Did every moment they shared mean nothing? These thoughts became chains, dragging her deeper into despair. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break free.

Her parents noticed her silence but didn’t press. They thought it was school pressure, maybe the weight of responsibilities. Shanelle forced a smile at the dinner table, her laughter hollow. But when she returned to her room, the mask crumbled, and the tears returned. She longed to tell someone, anyone, but her pride held her back. To confess the truth would mean admitting she had been fooled.

At school the next day, eyes followed her wherever she went. Whispers spread faster than wildfire, fueled by Vivian’s triumphant smirk. Shanelle walked with her head down, but the weight of judgment was suffocating. She wanted to disappear, to vanish into the cracks of the floor. Once she had been admired, envied, celebrated. Now she was the broken girl in everyone’s story.

Vivian seemed to enjoy the attention, clinging to Darren’s arm like a trophy. Every laugh, every glance was a reminder of what Shanelle had lost. Darren, on the other hand, didn’t even acknowledge her existence. His coldness hurt more than the kiss itself. It was as if their history had been erased in a single night. As if she had never mattered at all.

Shanelle wondered if Darren’s arrogance had always hidden something darker. She remembered the sharpness in his voice when he spoke about his mother, the bitterness that lingered. Perhaps that pain had twisted him into someone who could hurt others without remorse. But even knowing his past couldn’t excuse what he had done. Betrayal was betrayal. And no wound from childhood could make it right.

Every corner of the school reminded her of him. The library where they met, the courtyard where he once surprised her with flowers, the classroom where he whispered jokes to make her laugh. Now those places felt haunted, stained with memories she wished she could erase. She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to hide. Pain followed her like a shadow.

Her friends tried to comfort her, but words felt empty. “He doesn’t deserve you,” they said, but it didn’t stop her from aching. “You’re stronger than this,” they whispered, but she didn’t feel strong. She felt broken, like her soul had been ripped apart. No advice could mend what had been shattered. Only time, maybe, but even that seemed cruelly slow.

One night, Shanelle sat by her window, staring at the stars. She wondered if Darren had ever looked at the sky the way she did, searching for answers in its vastness. The stars didn’t comfort her; they mocked her with their distant glow. Happiness felt just as unreachable. She had once thought Darren was her universe. Now he was nothing but a black hole, pulling her into darkness.

Her dreams became nightmares, each one replaying the betrayal in vivid detail. She’d wake up drenched in sweat, her heart racing as though it had just happened again. Sleep offered no peace, only torment. The nights grew longer, the days colder. Even laughter around her sounded foreign. She was trapped in a cycle she couldn’t escape.

Despite the pain, something inside her whispered to fight. She didn’t know how, not yet, but she couldn’t let Darren and Vivian destroy her completely. The anger simmered beneath the sorrow, waiting for its chance. Maybe one day it would give her strength. But for now, all she could do was survive the storm. And survival itself was a battle.