River Thomas
Coach Hall
Honors Adv. Comp.
26 August 2024
Glass Heart
Now, Chloe’s life is different. She stopped talking to her husband and cut off all contact. But
the loneliness and pain have swallowed her whole, she feels nothing but that. Her heart is broken
into tiny glass shards and she hears one drop to the floor every time she touches those ticket
stubs. Or his shirts. Chloe changed that day. After that–she no longer trusted men because of the
betrayal. She lies in bed–watching what her life could have been as if she were in a Broadway
show.
Her mind spirals, she’s swimming in the abyss, and all she can see is darkness. Now, she's
paranoid. Chloe can’t stop thinking about Dan. Dan. Dan. Dan. That’s all she's thinking about.
She doesn’t know why this is happening, why her mind is turning on her after such a big
moment. She should hate him. HATE HIM. HATE HIM. She thought to herself, but no matter
how many times she told herself that; her lust and infatuation grew stronger, like a whisper in her
ear slowly morphing into a scream.
Chloe is convinced that Dan has been unloyal for years. YEARS….She thinks. How could
he? After all those wonderful memories together. She’s up late as usual (sleep is her enemy),
plotting more ideas on how to get back at Dan when suddenly, an idea pops into her head. Sneak
into his office!! That’s a great idea. Perfect. She will definitely find more evidence of Dan’s
mistrust there. So, she prepares her all-black outfit and anything else necessary for this little
escapade. The office is pitch-black, with the occasional flashlight of the security guard
illuminating her almost invisible figure. The door opens with a creak, her footsteps so quiet you
could hear a pin drop. Aha! There it is! She proclaims to herself. It’s a picture…faded from old
age, perched upon his wooden desk. It’s Dan, but not with Chloe!!! Chloe is exploding with rage
internally, That should have been her. He’s smiling, with his arm around her. The mystery
woman’s features are softer and more feminine with platinum blonde hair; which contrasts
deeply with Chloe’s fiery red hair, her siren-eyed gaze, and sharp angular facial structure. She
snatches it up, it's hers now.
Later, when the moon is high up in the sky, and it’s pitch black out, she rushes home. And I
mean rushes. She is sprinting, getting looks from passersby but she ignores them. All she can
think about is Dan. Dan has consumed her. In her twisted mental state, she tears the photo apart.
But then arranges it back into a little puzzle on her bed. The red numbers on her clock harshly
mocked her as it struck 3:00 am, this is her life now. No sleep. Only the important stuff. She
brutally tapes them to the wall, along with the rest of her collection. Yarn and pins pointing
towards ripped-up pictures. All of Dan, with other women obviously. “You thought you could
fool me didn’t you, Dan? I’ll show you… I’ll show everyone who you really are?” She mutters
while pacing frantically, her emerald eyes wild with insanity.
Time passes, and the first bits of sunlight stream through the windows of her dimly lit
apartment. Not long after, she hears her phone buzz. She is hyper-aware of every little thing now.
She doesn't miss it. It’s Dan. It reads: I know you’ve been going through my stuff Chloe. We
need to talk. He wants to talk, and Chloe feels a mixture of emotions. For a second there, she
catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and sees the bright, kind, selfless girl she once knew.
Not now, she's gone. Her eyes are now sparked with something unreadable, like if you look too
close, you’ll be blinded from the harsh brightness and intensity of it. She panics. She says yes.
But her mind has already been clouded with the million of what if scenarios that could possibly
happen. The thoughts come so fast she feels like she could explode. Here we go…this is Chloe’s
chance to enact her revenge….
Chloe’s shaking so hard she can barely walk, but she finally reaches the cafe, their meeting
place. How romantic? She thinks it was where they had their first date. The irony is killing her.
Her eyes dart widely across the room until she spots Dan. She freezes, there he is. Nursing his
usual coffee order, a caramel macchiato. Her body is frozen. She can’t do anything, but stare. I
can’t hurt him. She thought. I just can’t. His hair has faded to gray just a little, and he motions
Chloe to come over. She stumbles, like she had too much to drink. The room is spinning. She’s
overwhelmed with so many emotions–fear, anger, frustration, lust. She hears Dan talking, but
she can’t listen to the words. She can hear her heart beating in her eardrums. THUMP. THUMP.
THUMP. Dan’s concerning, gentle voice is calling out to her, but it’s merely an echo. She sits
there, broken and lost, the lines blurring between what’s real and what’s imagined. The future
remains a terrifying, unanswered question. “I love you, Chloe…” It fades into the distance.