"Shattered Pieces, Silent Cries"

As if the whole world had stopped, the heart itself went numb. It is impossible to speak of this burning feeling in words. All that-thus warm and safe-now somehow moved away. This loving, hopeful heart has been left empty, somehow missing a part of itself. Not just emotional pain-it has a physical dimension, too. It becomes hard to breathe sometimes, feels like a weighted blanket is pushing down on everything- tight in the chest. The mind races through memories of happier times, but they now sting with sharp edges on their once-smooth surfaces. "What once brought one joy is now a reminder of what is lost.".

The days can prove so long and heavy after a heartbreak. Time seems to go so slowly, and every minute seems hard. One cannot sleep, but when one does, it is usually full of dreams that bring back the person or thing lost. Waking up to those dreams feels cruel in that for that little bit of time, everything was all right once again, then reality comes dashing in, hitting the heart like a cruel fist. The monochromatic light-filled mornings are now dull-colored. Things that brought joy to a person, be it a favorite song, or a sunny day, have become reminding pain as they used to be shared or experienced during happier times.

There's so much loneliness with people around. It's just a part of you that no one else can understand, much less get to reach. The friends and family will try to help in a form of warm words or distractions, but one gets the feeling that no one can really get how much it hurts. Perhaps this is really true-because every heartbreak is different. No two people love in the same way, nor do no two people feel the loss in the same way either.

Even the heart itself, after a heartbreak, feels frail. It could look like it's about to crack at the slightest effort if it tries to love again too soon. This fear that the same kind of pain could come back makes one not want to open up nor trust again because the thought alone is enough to make one put the walls up as protection from heartbreak. At the same time, though, there's this quiet longing and maybe hope that someday the heart could heal and love could be safe again.

Sometimes, the grief gets suffocated by sheer rage. It's rage at the situation, or rage at the person who hurt you, but it can be rage at oneself for letting it all happen. Your head runs through the "what ifs" and "if onlys," replaying moments and wishing things had been different. This anger is part of the process, but it's draining and takes away everything that energy level is left with. And even when that anger is gone, sadness remains. That's the shadow left hanging long after the sun has set.

But amidst all that, there are small moments of clarity. When the pain, for one single second, cuts a little less sharp.

It might be while watching a sunset, or hearing a comforting song, or simply sitting quietly and realizing that somehow, despite the hurt, you’re still here. The heart, though broken, is still beating. The body, though tired, still moves. And that’s a small victory in itself. It’s a sign that, even though it doesn’t feel like it, healing is possible.

The road after a breakup is very long. Some days are better, as bad as the first. There is no understanding when the pain will pass or if it ever will. But slowly, very slowly, the heart begins to heal. It doesn't forget-this never forgets-but it learns to bear the ache in a way that doesn't feel so heavy. Those memories used to be sore; they soften into old photographs in a drawer. They are there, but they no longer sting like they used to. In the end, the heart is made strong because it had to be and not because of a desire. The person who once loved so intensely soon finds the pain of losing but finds out they could survive it. They learn that even with a broken heart, life goes on. And maybe one day, the heart will open again, cautiously, but knowing that love is worthwhile, despite the risk of it all being heartbreak.