Music Lights & Never Afters by C.L. Matthews

Some blades cut deeper than others.
When I was younger, that saying never made sense. I was the child of a famous musician living my best life, learning talents of my own, and making the world my stage.
I had it all, until that very first cut.
Losing my parents was only a nick in the dumpster fire that became my life. Their death hurt, but not as bad as the betrayal I felt from Andy.
I admit I went a little crazy when they passed away. I isolated myself, pushed away everyone I could, and it worked.
I was free from the confines of expectations, but that high only lasted so long before the second cut came.
Andy gave me my space.
Even though I asked for it, it wasn’t what I wanted.
It was almost as if the connection we shared, all the late-night conversations, and laughs evaporated.
And now, five years later, when I feel at least halfway decent about my life and the music I create, she calls me, asking me to meet him—her new fiancé.
Some blades cut deeper than others, but that one completely bled me dry.