Free Twist of Love by Paige Powers

was married before I met you.” Josie's eyes were starting to tear up.
    She couldn't control it anymore. She just wanted to let it all out on Blake.
    “I thought everything was perfect, I thought those love songs were real! But I found out that the real world is much, much different than what I had envisioned in my mind. I thought that he and I would have kids and a family and grow old together. But I was wrong! The world is a horrible place! Full of heartbreak and tears! Just when I thought that everything was going right, he ran off. With. My. Best. Friend!”
    Josie's lips spat out the words with frightening precision. Her voice was loud and clear. The wounds in her heart were still fresh, and it showed.
    “Love... doesn't last forever. It's just a phase. I knew you'd do the same to me. I know you, Blake Ingram. The 'Heartbreaker of Fallston'. Don't think you can fool me! I know all the relationships you've had with several other women! And I'm not about to add to that list of heartbroken, innocent women!”
    Blake was at a loss for words. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't. It was as if his voice had been sucked right out of him. He didn't know how to react to Josie's outrage. He knew that Josie couldn't possibly know any of the things that had happened in his life. She had only believed the gossip about him, which couldn't be farther from the truth.
    “I knew it!” Josie said in a spiteful tone of voice.
    And in an instant, Josie slammed the door shut as hard as she could. The loud, thundering sound of the door slamming shut shook Blake and sent chills throughout his entire body. He fell to his knees and cried.
    “Why...!”
    He pleaded towards the sky, as if the heavens had all the answers. People walking down the street were starting to stare at Blake and at Josie's house, wondering what the commotion was all about. Blake looked around and wiped his tears. He had gotten what he had been looking for. The closure. But he wasn't one bit happy with how it had ended. But he didn't want to force Josie into anything. Her cold, harsh words still echoed into Blake's head. He didn't want to prove her right.
    “F-fine... I won't force you into anything anymore, if that's what you thought of me... goodbye, Josie Steele...” Blake said softly.
    He stood up and walked towards his car slowly, still grasping his chest. The pain was still intense. People were now staring at him. But he didn't care. None of it mattered now.
    “D-damn...” he whispered to himself as he clutched his chest.
    He didn't know whether he should consult a doctor for his chest pain. But he decided not to since he had already got his fill of mean doctors for the day.

 
    21. Slipping at Work
    “You're a loser, Josie. You could've had me. We could've been happy together. But you chose your pride. You chose another person's opinion over what we had. You messed everything up.” Blake told Josie in a cold voice. There was neither resentment nor anger in his voice. It was cold and sounded monotonous.
    “No! I'm not a loser! I didn't lose anything! Damn you!!”
    Blake didn't reply to Josie. He just stared blankly at her. His face was expressionless, like a ghost. The stare from his eyes pierced through Josie's very soul. She’d tried running away from him, but she still couldn't hide from the image of Blake's blank stare that haunted her. She fell to her knees and cried.
    “Stop this! Stop doing this to me! I'm sorry! There, you heard it! I'm sorry! Stop doing this to me! Leave me alone!!” Josie shouted, but no one seemed to hear her. She was alone in a huge, dark room that seemed to stretch forever. There was no hiding from what she had done to Blake. Her punishment was clear.
    “Just like you said, love isn't real. So now you have what you want. You will spend the rest of your life.... alone.” Blake's voice sounded remorseless. His remark kept repeating over and over inside Josie's head. She tried covering her ears, but to no avail.
    “Damn