All Chapters of Shattered Trust: Chapter 91 - Chapter 96

Chapter Ninety One: GuiltThe soft, rhythmic sound of the rain tapping against the windowpane provided almost a melancholic soundtrack to Rachel's thoughts. She sat alone in her small apartment, the dim light from the lamp casting long shadows on the walls. She stood stiff, her hands curled into fists where her nails had dug deep into her palms to steady some unevenly escaping breaths from her chest. The whirlwind of turmoil, guilt, and regret all swirled within her mind.Rachel had sat here for hours without the slightest idea how much time had actually elapsed since she last checked her watch. Outside, the world had dulled to a gray haze, rain diffusing reality and fantasy. Her head was filled with visions of what had taken place during the last days. The look on Stephanie's terrified face when they took her away-when she and Vanessa dragged her away-stayed in her mind, awake or asleep. It was a memory that she could not shake, no matter how hard she tried.She thought of Noah and h

Chapter Ninety Three: Rachel's Inner StruggleRachel sat alone in the darkened room of her apartment, hands clasped tightly around a mug of tea that she hadn't sipped. The warmth from the cup seeped into her palms but did nothing to quell the chill gnawing at her chest. She hadn't been able to get out of bed for the past few days, but today, her mind couldn't afford the luxury of lingering in self-pity any longer.She knew no longer what to do with herself as the world kept blurring into one big confusion of pain. The weight of her actions weighed heavily upon her, at times insurmountable. She quit her job, the one thing that anchored her into some kind of routine, just to get away from the tension slowly choking her. The thought of facing Noah after everything that had happened-after having betrayed him and watched him move on with Stephanie-was just too much to bear. Her guilt was eating her from the inside out, spiraling further down each passing day.The betrayal nipped at her con

Chapter Ninety Five: The Unannounced VisitThe air was cool that evening, with that certain sting that made one clinch the jacket tighter and quicken the steps. Noah and Stephanie just stepped out of the restaurant, with the silence between them thick with dinner. Noah's mind had raced since their conversation, but his resolve had only been strengthened. He had to do this. He needed to see Rachel, to tell her he had forgiven her and wanted nothing other than for the two of them to be free to move on in life and find peace.Stephanie walked beside him, her hand clasped in his. She knew what he was doing, and as much as the wiser part of her still harbored her own reservations about the situation, she did understand that Noah needed this for his healing. She couldn't deny that a part of her was nervous, too-this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. But they couldn't ignore the past forever. Sometimes, closure was the only way forward.They turned to the building that housed Rachel's