The bathroom tile was cool on her cheek, providing Shane with her only tether to reality.

Not even one hour ago, she’d been in the happiest relationship of her life.

Then she’d found the texts. And remembered how she’d ignored all the times when he’d come back home in the middle of the night, slipping into their bedroom, trying not to wake her.

She remembered the secret glances between her best friend and her boyfriend that she wasn’t supposed to see. The secret flirtation.

She’d ignored it all.

She’d ignored it all in the name of love.

Because that’s what she thought it was.

Such a fickle thing, love is. One instant, you’re head over heels for someone, and you think they’re just as in love with you. And then the next instant everything is falling apart.

She’d lost two of the most important people in her life in the same moment. How is it even possible, to lose to much, so quickly?

Shane almost wished she’d never followed him, found them both in his car, entwined. At least they’d both still be in her life.

_No. _

__

__

She couldn’t think that way. She didn’t want people in her life that could do this to her. That could do something so cruel.

They obviously hadn’t wanted Shane in their lives. _Why didn’t they tell her? Why did they let her believe everything was okay? _

__

__

How stupid must she have been, to believe that it would last? To believe that she was what he wanted.

She’d believed she was enough.

Stupid. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _

__

__

She braced her hands on the floor, dragging herself up into a sitting position. The room spun as the world tilted on its axis.

Shane pressed a palm into her temple, trying to stop the pounding. Squeezing her eyes shut, she

blindly grabbed for the bottle that was somewhere behind her.

If she drank enough, she could drown out the noise. She could drown out the voices in her head, all screaming for attention.

If she drank enough, she would forget all about it. Forget about Chase. Forget about Sarah. Forget about lips pressed together, forget about their panicked expressions as she knocked on the car window, forget about them grabbing for clothes.

Forget anything had happened.

When that bottle ran out, Shane slid all the way back to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

As she lay there, curled into a ball, she wondered how it would feel to disappear. If she made herself small enough, would she cease to exist?

That sounded nice. Ceasing to exist.

Shane didn’t know how long she was on the floor for, but at some point, the bathroom walls melted into darkness, and she was falling.

Falling

F

a

l

l

i

n

g

Into a deep void of nothingness.

It was so peaceful to fall.