I looked up into the face of someone who had become my past as suddenly as he’d become my future. Tears spilled onto my cheeks and my chest pulsed quickly, forcing out what little oxygen was left in me. I grabbed at my shirt, just above my heart. I couldn’t believe any person could be in so much pain. Heartbreak wasn’t just an illusion. It wasn’t just a word used to describe post-breakup. It was real and it was happening to me. My teeth clamped shut and my vision blurred. The soft whimpers that I tried to suppress developed into undeniable sobs. My knees grew weak and I collapsed onto the cold, hard concrete. His dark silhouette disappeared from in front of my clouded eyes. He had left me. Fragile and alone. Broken and suffering.

I curled my body into a ball and let the agony consume me. I was in too much pain to think, to move, to feel anything but the throbbing inside my chest.