The 99-Like Heartbreak

ing big, dramatic events and moved on to a quiet, relentless psychological w

s I picked up the pieces of glass. I knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that Tiffany had done it. But there was no proof. When I confronted her, she just

oiled over. I screamed at her, calling her a liar, a monster. I grabbed her arm, my

the exact moment Eth

, my hands on a "cowering" Tiffany. He

her!" he roared, pul

l hard. The look on his face was one of utter disg

it whenever I disagreed with him, whenever I failed to show Tiffany the r

erately tried to explain Tiffany' s manipulations, but my words were just noise to him. I was

play the victim so perfectly that she made everyone else look like the a

t was my university application. One evening, I found

and I think I might have accidentally deleted something," she

t wasn't just deleted. I checked the computer's history. She had logged into my application portal and changed my first-choice

nd fix my application. But the incident terrified me. She wasn't just tryin

ul, and slightly clumsy girl. To the Reeds and their social circle

onstant flicker of annoyance and disappointment. He still kept me around, a habit he couldn't

otector. I thought if I just tried hard enough, he would see the truth. I

away. My desperation made me look pat

ot," hearing him casually plot to hurt me for his own amusement, hearing the complete and ut

was over.

hard clarity. I wasn't just losing him; I was losi

tance letters. The one from my dream school was there, but so was another one,

." A new chapter