Chapter One: Ruminate

After a heartbreaking breakup, a woman meets a silent stranger while walking through a mysterious passageway. The encounter leaves her questioning the boundary between dreams and reality.

“Just!" The woman suddenly stood, her hands shaking as she gripped the edge of the table. Her voice cracked. “Who are you to tell me I can’t be loved?” Tears brimmed in her eyes, hanging like glass on the verge of shattering. Her mind was spinning; she couldn’t believe this was happening. Six years, and now… this?

Derrick, leaning back in his chair, sighed and let out a humorless chuckle. “Ha… ah.” The sound of it hit her like a punch to the gut, more painful than any of his words. He paused, rubbing his temple as if this whole conversation was just an inconvenience, something to get through before moving on.

He looked up at her with tired eyes, and for a moment, she remembered how those same eyes used to light up. Not anymore. The creases around the lines she once traced with affection now seemed so foreign. Derrick, the man she once loved, was slipping away. Or maybe he already had, and she was just now seeing it.

Her throat tightened as she sank back into her chair, her fingers fumbling with the edge of her napkin. “Why now, Derrick?” Her voice was quieter this time, more fragile. “Why would you say this to me after six years? Six years… You’re telling me it meant nothing?” The words tumbled out in desperation, but she could already feel them falling on deaf ears.

Derrick didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his coat off the back of the chair, his movements deliberate, as if this were just another day. “Look,” he said, not even meeting her gaze, “I don’t know you anymore. And I have an engagement to look after.”

With that, he walked out, leaving her in the wreckage of what was once their relationship. 

She sat there for a moment, frozen in disbelief, the words echoing in her mind I don’t know you anymore. Slowly, the weight of it pressed down on her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Without thinking, she grabbed her purse and rushed out of the restaurant, her heart pounding in her ears. Tears welled up, but she held them back, biting her lip until she tasted blood. “I shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t have come,” she repeated to herself like a mantra, but it did nothing to calm her racing thoughts.

As she walked, the world around her blurred. The buildings on either side seemed to rise and fall like waves, some towering over her, others slumping under the weight of time. "Closed," "Open," the signs on the doors flickered by, indifferent to her pain. Her heels clicked against the pavement, each step feeling heavier than the last.

Where am I even going? she thought. She didn’t know. She just needed to keep moving.

The sun was rising, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold, but it felt distant. The warmth that should have brought comfort only highlighted the cold ache spreading through her chest. She passed by familiar streets, but they felt foreign now, as if the city itself had changed with Derrick’s final words.

And then, she found herself on a pathway she didn’t recognize. It was narrow, overgrown with weeds that clawed up from the cracks in the sidewalk. The shadows were long, stretching over the ground like dark fingers reaching out to pull her in. Without realizing it, she stepped off the main road and onto the path, her feet carrying her forward as if they had a mind of their own.

The deeper she walked, the more the world seemed to shift. The sounds of the city faded, replaced by an eerie silence. The trees on either side loomed taller, their branches hanging low, creating a tunnel of shadows. She felt a chill run down her spine, but she didn’t stop.

As she walked, her mind raced back to Derrick. The way his laugh had felt like a slap, the coldness in his eyes, the finality in his words. Six years. Gone.

Up ahead, she saw the faint outline of a bench, barely visible through the fog that had begun to settle around her. Without thinking, she made her way toward it, her steps slow and heavy. When she reached the bench, she collapsed onto it, pressing her palms into her eyes. The pressure felt grounding, but it wasn’t enough to stop the flood of thoughts.

She let her hands fall into her lap and stared ahead, her vision blurry with exhaustion and unshed tears. That’s when she noticed a man standing at the edge of the path, his arms crossed, gazing at the sunrise. He hadn’t been there a moment ago, or maybe she hadn’t noticed. Either way, she didn’t care.

She closed her eyes, leaning back against the bench, letting the cool air wash over her face. “What brings you up here?” she muttered, her voice hoarse from the weight of the morning.

The man didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted him to.

With her eyes still closed, she spoke again, “I know it’s strange to ask this of a stranger, but…” Her voice cracked as she exhaled a long breath. “Can you sit with me?” She reached out, patting the empty space on the bench beside her. The wooden surface pressed sharply into her palm, but the discomfort felt distant, like it belonged to someone else.

She heard the movement of soft footsteps and the man’s presence shifted. But instead of sitting, he grabbed his bag, his body language distant and dismissive. His silence was louder than any answer.

She opened her eyes, blinking in the dim morning light. The man was walking away, and a sudden wave of desperation surged through her. Without thinking, she reached out and lightly grabbed his arm. “Please…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Would you mind listening? Just for a little while?”

The man sighed, a long, slow exhale, before turning to face her. He sat down beside her, placing his bag on his lap. He didn’t speak, but somehow, his presence felt… enough. For now.

“So, stranger, what’s your name?” she asked softly, her eyes still heavy from everything that had happened.

The man remained silent.

She closed her eyes again, letting her mind drift. “I’ll call you Star,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Why do you think we only see stars at night and not during the day?” She paused, her mind replaying everything that had brought her to this moment. It’s daytime, she realized, her thoughts snapping back to the present. She opened her eyes, staring at the pale sky. How did I not notice until now?

Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white. Fear curled its way up her spine, but even as it took hold, she felt like she was slipping into a dream.

Waking up from her trance, she sighed. The stranger had left the bench before she could have noticed. As if he had never been there, or didn’t want her to notice. Her mind was numb, still swirling with fragments of the breakup. But at that moment, she didn’t care. She was tired of feeling so empty, so… broken.

A sharp sob escaped her throat, the dam finally breaking. Tears spilled down her cheeks, faster than she could wipe them away. She cried, and cried harder, her body shaking with each breath as the weight of the last six years crashed down on her like a tidal wave. Six years. Gone. How could everything just end like that? How could he...how could he...just walk away?

She stood, her legs barely holding her up, her fists clenched tight as her chest heaved. She didn’t care if anyone heard her now. “WHY?!” she screamed, her voice breaking through the quiet night. “Why did you waste my time? Why did I love you?”

Her words echoed back at her, mocking her, as the cool night air filled her lungs. She felt so small, so insignificant beneath the vast sky, and it only made her angrier. She slammed her hands against the cold fence in front of her. “I gave you everything!” She shouted again, her voice raw. Her throat burned, but she kept yelling. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t… I don’t deserve this!”

The world felt unreal. The sky, the stars, even the ground beneath her feet. Everything blurred, blending into a haze of anger and grief. She was unraveling, and nothing made sense anymore. The pain was too much, too sharp, too constant, and all she wanted was for it to stop.

Suddenly, a strange light flickered in the distance, cutting through her spiraling thoughts. “Hello?” she muttered, squinting into the light. But before she could react, the light grew stronger, blinding her. Her breath hitched, and her hands shot up to shield her eyes.

The ground beneath her shifted. A jolt, a violent shake, and then… silence.

When she opened her eyes, she was staring up at a bright, sterile ceiling. She blinked, trying to focus. Her chest still heaved from the crying, but the tears had dried. Where was she? What had happened?

The voices around her were faint at first, like whispers creeping into her consciousness. Her head was pounding. She shifted slightly and felt the starchy fabric of a hospital gown against her skin.

“Hey, stop pushing her, she’s awake,” a voice said softly.

“What’s wrong with her, Mom?” another voice, younger this time, asked.

Slowly, she turned her head toward the voices. A woman and a boy were standing at the edge of the room, peeking in through a curtain. The woman had long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail, her forest green eyes filled with concern. The boy looked younger, maybe ten or eleven, his wide eyes darting between the woman and her.

“What... what happened?” she croaked, her throat dry.

The woman stepped forward; her expression soft but worried. “We found you on the ground... collapsed. My son and I called for help.”

"Collapsed?" Her mind was racing. She couldn’t remember anything. The last thing she could recall was... no, she couldn’t grasp it. Was she walking home? She wasn’t sure.

“I don’t... remember," she admitted, her voice trembling. "What time is it? How long have I been here?”

“It was late when we found you,” the woman said gently. “We were walking home when we saw you, so we called an ambulance. You’re safe now.”

The woman’s words did little to settle her unease. She still didn’t understand how she had ended up here. Before she could ask more questions, a nurse entered the room.

“Ms. Gale,” the nurse said, stepping closer. “You’re in the hospital, but there’s no need to worry. You collapsed, and you were brought in for observation. You’re stable now.”

“I... collapsed?” she repeated, trying to make sense of it. “Do I… have a guardian or someone I can contact?” She had no family. No one could look after her. But the words slipped out anyway, a reflex.

The nurse shook her head. “No guardian, but you don’t need to worry about the bill. It’s already been taken care of.”

“What?” she said, sitting up straighter in the bed, the hospital gown wrinkling under her movement. “What do you mean someone paid for me?” Her heart pounded in her chest. “Who?”

The nurse gave her a calm, practiced smile. “I’m afraid I don’t know, Ms. Gale. The bill was settled shortly after you were admitted.”

Her thoughts raced, a thousand questions colliding at once. Who could have paid for me? She didn’t have anyone. No family, no friends who’d do that. She tried to think, but the headache was getting worse, pounding behind her eyes. Who was watching out for her? And why couldn’t she remember collapsing? Was she really, okay?

She groaned softly, pressing her hand to her temple. “Ow…”

“Ms. Gale are you sure you’re feeling alright?” the nurse asked again, stepping closer to check the monitors. “The recipient who paid for your bill requested that you stay overnight for observation. You can be discharged in the morning.”

She barely heard the nurse. Her mind was racing, her body stiff with confusion. “Okay… Thank you,” she muttered absentmindedly, still trying to grasp what was happening.

The nurse left her bedside, but she barely noticed. Her thoughts were a blur, echoing in her mind like a broken record. Who? How did I end up here? Why did I collapse? She couldn’t remember. Her body had simply… given out.

She glanced at the phone on the side table. 9 August 2019. 12:00 PM. Had it really been so long since she was at the restaurant? She sighed, sinking back into the bed, pulling the covers over her. Her mind wouldn’t stop racing, her body felt heavy, her mind foggy. She didn’t know what had happened to her or why, but the more she thought about it, the less it made sense. With a soft sigh, she let herself drift back into sleep.

Author's Note

For this chapter, I’d appreciate feedback on the character dynamics and pacing. Does the emotional tension come through clearly? I’m still working on the dialogue and flow, so focus more on the overall arc and character development. Grammar and small details are still a work in progress.