In the dim light of twilight, Ava stood at the edge of the old pier, her breath visible in the cool air. The world around her felt heavy, as if it were steeped in the echoes of love lost. Just a few weeks ago, laughter had lit up her life; now, everything felt like broken glass beneath her feet.

Last summer, when she had met Ryan, they sparked a wildfire romance. Their playful banter had lit up parched days, but beneath the surface simmered a tempest—one that had ruined everything. The flirtation that had once made her heart race had quickly morphed into a sharp pain. It was the look in Ryan’s eyes when he was with someone else that shattered her. Each stolen glance at him with his new flame twisted the knife in her heart deeper.

“Broken windows fall in place,” she whispered to herself, as memories cascaded like falling leaves. The promises they had made now drifted like ash in the wind. The moments they had shared turned into distant shades behind her, blurred and hazy. She had bared her soul to him, only to find that trust had slipped from her grasp, leaving nothing but sand and glass.

“What can I do,” she said, tears pricking her eyes, “to make you see? To come out clean?” It haunted her that despite everything, she still wished for the warmth of his smile. “You’re better off with me,” she murmured, memories of laughter playing in her mind like a bittersweet symphony.

Time had become an enemy, a thief that robbed her of peace. They had wasted precious moments tangled in a whirlwind of unspoken words and unmet expectations, and now it felt like they were chasing shadows. She gazed into the horizon where the sun dipped below the water, wishing for a time when they might find their way back.

But deep down, Ava knew trust had crumbled like the fragile remains of a cherished illusion. She let out a sigh, “In you I trust nevermore.” It wasn't easy to let go, to release the love that had come to define her. But she needed to. She needed to reclaim herself from the smoking ruins of a past that had loved and yet betrayed. With one last glance at the ghost of what could have been, Ava turned away from the pier, leaving behind the memories that had begun to suffocate her heart, ready to find a new path in the dust of the past.