Chasing Light Through Darkness By Caleb Snow 13

Chasing Light Through Darkness By Caleb Snow 13 Summary

 

As Anna heads to a celebration party with her teachers and classmates, she receives an Instagram notification from Isaac showing a tender moment between him and Alma at a French restaurant. The post’s caption and Alma’s comment reveal a deep, seemingly lifelong connection between them. This stirs painful memories in Anna of the early days when she and Isaac were dating, a time filled with warmth, shared moments, and promises. Isaac had always been attentive and encouraging, emphasizing the importance of sharing and love in their relationship.

 

However, the arrival of Alma has disrupted that closeness. Anna is pulled back to the present by a teacher inviting her to take pictures with classmates under a maple tree, but her thoughts remain clouded by the Instagram updates Alma keeps posting about her life with Isaac. Alma’s constant sharing of intimate moments contrasts sharply with Isaac’s apparent indifference to her posts. When Anna receives a message from Isaac asking when she will pick up her things, and then a photo showing Alma in her belongings, anger overwhelms her.

 

The situation escalates horrifically when Isaac sends a video revealing Alma cruelly torturing Anna’s beloved puppy by pouring boiling water on it while laughing. This shocking act of cruelty devastates Anna, highlighting the intense conflict and emotional pain she is enduring as her relationship with Isaac falls apart and Alma’s presence becomes a source of torment. The chapter ends with Anna grappling with this brutal betrayal and the dark turn her life has taken.

 

Continue Regular Chapter Reading Below

Chapter 3

As I headed to the celebration party with my teachers and classmates, my phone buzzed with a new notification. It was an Instagram post from Isaac.

The photo showed him and Alma clinking glasses in a cozy, dimly lit French restaurant. The warm glow of the candles cast soft shadows over their faces, making the moment feel intimate and tender.

Isaac’s caption read, “Some people are destined to miss each other, some are destined to be together for a lifetime.”

Alma had liked and commented on the post, writing, “No matter when, I will always be there.”

The two of them looked so deeply in love, so perfectly matched.

A sudden memory hit me—back to the year when Isaac and I first started dating. Alma wasn’t anywhere in the picture then.

That year, Isaac never missed a day picking me up from work. Without fail, he was always there, waiting with a smile.

He would share everything with me—big news from the company, little office rumors, even how many times my coworkers sneaked off to the restroom.

He’d joke about how often he yawned during the day and whether each yawn meant he was thinking of me.

Every time he teased me like that, I’d laugh and call him silly.

But Isaac would always respond with a serious tone, correcting me.

“Love is about sharing,” he’d say. “And before you can share, you have to like. If one day we stop wanting to share, that means we’ve stopped loving each other.”

“But Anna,” he’d add with a grin, “I won’t let you stop loving me.”

He encouraged me to share with him anything that caught my eye—fallen leaves, a playful puppy, a pretty street corner, sunshine, rain, or snow—so we could experience those little moments together.

It was about feeling the emotion of the moment, side by side.

Back then, everything felt sweet and full of promise. Isaac and I never ran out of things to talk about; our conversations flowed endlessly, full of laughter and gossip.

Then Alma came between us.

“Anna,” a teacher’s hand gently touched my shoulder, pulling me back to the present.

I turned around, a little distracted, and saw her pointing toward a maple tree glowing with autumn colors in the distance.

“Since you’re here, do you want to take pictures with them?” she asked kindly.

I glanced at my classmates gathered nearby, their faces bright with smiles, and nodded. Together, we captured the golden hues of fall, witnessing the beauty of the season.

For a moment, I hesitated. This time, I really didn’t want to post anything on Instagram.

But then I noticed Alma had just updated her story a minute ago.

Her caption read, “I have a secret in my heart, that secret—”

The photo showed the back of a man wearing matching pajamas.

It was unmistakably Isaac; I knew him instantly.

Alma was always updating her Instagram. Whenever Isaac cooked porridge for her, watched dull movies by her side, took her grass skiing, or made her brown coffee, she shared it all with sweet captions like, “After half a lifetime, I finally know what I’ve been searching for.”

Her feelings were laid bare for everyone to see—except Isaac, who acted as if he didn’t notice.

I closed Instagram and then, unexpectedly, a message from Isaac appeared: “When are you coming to pick up your things?”

I didn’t respond.

Moments later, he sent a photo.

In it, Alma was sitting on my vanity, wearing my pajamas, casually messing with my belongings.

A surge of anger rose inside me at this invasion.

Before I could type a furious reply, another message from Isaac arrived.

“Anna, don’t think you can make me back down with this trick.”

He added, “Since you don’t want to be together, I guess there are some things you just don’t care about anymore.”

Then he sent a video.

My heart clenched painfully.

I hesitated, then clicked on it.

What I saw made my stomach turn.

Alma had locked my puppy—the little one I’d cared for over three years—inside a cage.

She was pouring boiling water over it.

The puppy yelped in pain, its cries breaking my heart.

Alma laughed cruelly and sneered, “Serves you right, you stinky dog. That’s your karma!”

Conclusion

 

The chapter closes on a deeply painful note, revealing the raw emotional turmoil Anna endures as she confronts the betrayal and cruelty inflicted upon her most cherished companion. The contrast between the warmth of past memories with Isaac and the harsh reality of his current allegiance to Alma underscores the profound sense of loss and heartbreak. The narrative captures the fragile nature of love and trust, showing how easily they can be shattered by jealousy and spite.

 

Despite the darkness that envelops Anna’s world, the chapter also subtly highlights her resilience and capacity for emotional endurance. The quiet beauty of the autumn scene, the lingering sweetness of past love, and the support of her classmates suggest that even in moments of despair, there remains a glimmer of hope. Anna’s journey through pain and betrayal is a poignant reminder of the strength it takes to face the shadows and seek the light beyond them.

 

What to Expect in Next Chapter?

 

The next chapter promises to plunge deeper into the tangled emotions swirling around Anna, Isaac, and Alma. As Anna grapples with the shocking cruelty she has just witnessed, her sense of betrayal and heartbreak will intensify, threatening to shatter the fragile remnants of her past relationship. The emotional weight of such a violent act against her beloved puppy will not only test Anna’s resilience but also force her to confront painful truths about the people she once trusted.

 

Tensions are likely to escalate as Anna wrestles with her feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion, while Isaac’s messages hint at a darker, more complicated side to their fractured connection. The interplay between love, jealousy, and vengeance will create a charged atmosphere, leaving readers eager to uncover how Anna will respond to these devastating developments. With secrets bubbling beneath the surface and loyalties in question, the next chapter will deepen the emotional stakes and keep you on edge, wondering who will emerge stronger from the shadows of this heartbreak.