Jo Wilson sat in her tiny apartment, the silence suffocating around her. She stared at her phone, scrolling aimlessly, though her thoughts were a million miles away. It had been months since Alex Karev left, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling of abandonment. He had shattered her heart, and yet here she was, still wondering how he was doing. Still wondering if he missed her the way she missed him.

The lyrics from Taylor Swift's "Labyrinth" played on a loop in her mind: "It only hurts this much right now, was what I was thinking the whole time..." That was exactly how it felt. A constant ache, a maze of emotions she couldn't find her way out of.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She and Alex were supposed to be happy, building a life together, moving past all the chaos that had tried to tear them apart. But instead, he had left. Left her for a past she thought he had outgrown, and now she was stuck, trying to pick up the pieces of a life she didn't recognize anymore.

Her phone buzzed with a text, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was from Link, one of the few people who had been trying to keep her grounded through all of this.

Link: Hey, you okay? Haven't heard from you today.

Jo stared at the message for a moment, unsure how to respond. She wasn't okay, but she didn't want to admit that out loud. Not again.

Jo: I'm fine. Just tired.

A few seconds later, another text came through.

Link: Want to grab a drink? Could use a break myself.

Jo hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was go out and pretend like everything was fine, but the alternative—staying in her apartment, drowning in her thoughts—felt even worse.

Jo: Yeah, sure. Let's meet at Joe's in 20.


The bar was dimly lit, filled with the usual post-shift crowd of doctors and nurses looking for a moment of reprieve from the chaos of the hospital. Jo sat at the bar, nursing a drink, when Link slid into the seat beside her.

"Hey," he said, giving her a soft smile. "You look… exhausted."

Jo laughed, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, well, that's kind of my default setting these days."

Link frowned, watching her carefully. "You don't have to pretend with me, you know. I get it."

Jo sighed, staring down at her drink. "I'm not pretending. I just… I don't know how to stop feeling like this. I keep thinking I'll wake up one day and it'll hurt less, but it doesn't. It's like I'm stuck in this endless loop, and I can't find my way out."

Link leaned back in his seat, nodding. "Heartbreak's a bitch. There's no easy way through it."

Jo felt her throat tighten, the weight of everything she had been holding in threatening to spill out. "He just left, Link. He didn't even say goodbye to me in person. I didn't get a chance to fight for us. He didn't give me a chance."

Link's expression softened, and he reached over to place a comforting hand on her arm. "Alex made his choice, Jo. But that doesn't mean it was the right one."

Jo blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. "It feels like I wasn't enough for him. Like no matter how much I loved him, it wasn't enough to keep him here."

Link shook his head, his voice firm. "That's not on you. Alex has his own demons, and he made a decision that had nothing to do with you and everything to do with him. You're enough, Jo. You always were."

Jo looked at him, her heart aching. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that Alex's leaving wasn't some reflection of her own worth. But it was hard—so hard—when the man she had built her life around had chosen to walk away without a second thought.

"I just don't know how to move on," Jo whispered, her voice barely audible. "I thought we were forever."

Link's gaze softened, and he squeezed her arm gently. "You will move on. It doesn't feel like it now, but you will. And when you're ready, you'll realize that you deserve someone who doesn't make you question whether you're enough."

Jo smiled weakly, grateful for his support but still unsure of how to climb out of the labyrinth of pain she was trapped in.


The days blurred together after that. Jo threw herself into her work, trying to distract herself from the ache that followed her everywhere. She spent long hours at the hospital, helping patients, performing surgeries, anything to keep her mind busy. But no matter how hard she tried, Alex was always there—just beneath the surface, a constant reminder of the life she thought she had.

One afternoon, as Jo was finishing up a particularly grueling surgery, she found herself standing in the hallway outside the OR, her hands trembling slightly. She had been holding it together for so long, but today, something had snapped. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the loneliness, but whatever it was, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Before she could spiral any further, Meredith Grey appeared beside her, giving her a concerned look.

"You okay?" Meredith asked, her voice soft but knowing.

Jo shook her head, biting her lip. "Not really."

Meredith sighed, leaning against the wall. "It's been a rough few months. For all of us."

Jo nodded, her eyes welling up with tears she had been trying so hard to keep at bay. "I just… I don't know how to do this without him. I thought I was okay, but I'm not."

Meredith looked at her, her expression empathetic. "You're grieving, Jo. And that's okay. You're allowed to fall apart. But you'll get through this. You've been through worse."

Jo let out a shaky breath, wiping at her eyes. "I just feel like I'm stuck in this maze, and I can't find my way out. Every time I think I'm getting better, something pulls me back under."

Meredith gave her a small, sad smile. "That's how it works, unfortunately. It's not a straight line. But you're not alone in this. You've got people who care about you. You don't have to go through it by yourself."

Jo felt the weight of Meredith's words, and for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to lean into that support. She wasn't alone. She had her friends, her colleagues. And maybe, just maybe, she would find her way out of the labyrinth of heartbreak eventually.


Weeks passed, and slowly—very slowly—Jo started to feel like herself again. The pain was still there, but it wasn't as sharp, and she was learning to live with it. She was rediscovering parts of herself that had been buried under the weight of her relationship with Alex, and for the first time in months, she felt a glimmer of hope.

One evening, as Jo sat in the lounge after a long shift, sipping coffee and staring out the window, she felt a presence beside her. She looked up to see Amelia Shepherd sliding into the seat next to her, a mischievous smile on her face.

"You look like you're deep in thought," Amelia said, raising an eyebrow. "Care to share?"

Jo smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Just thinking about… everything."

Amelia tilted her head, studying her. "Everything? Or someone?"

Jo let out a sigh, shaking her head. "I'm trying not to think about him. But he's always there, you know?"

Amelia nodded, her expression softening. "Yeah, I get it. Heartbreak's a bitch."

Jo laughed bitterly. "Tell me about it."

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation hanging between them. Then, Amelia leaned forward, her voice low and serious. "You know, it's okay to let go. It doesn't mean you didn't love him. It just means you're choosing to move on."

Jo looked at her, surprised by the simplicity of the statement. She had been holding onto the pain for so long, afraid that if she let go, it would mean her love for Alex hadn't been real. But maybe Amelia was right. Maybe moving on didn't mean forgetting. It just meant choosing herself.

"I don't know if I'm ready," Jo admitted quietly.

Amelia smiled, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "You'll get there. In your own time."

Jo nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She wasn't there yet, but she was getting closer. And for the first time, that felt like enough.


One night, months after Alex had left, Jo found herself sitting on her apartment floor, surrounded by old photos and memories. She picked up a picture of the two of them, smiling and happy, before everything fell apart. Her heart ached as she looked at it, but there was no longer the sharp, overwhelming pain that had consumed her for so long.

The lyrics from "Labyrinth" played in her mind again: "I'll be getting over you my whole life." She knew that part of her would always love Alex, that she would carry that love with her forever. But she also knew that she was finally starting to heal.

She placed the photo back in the box and stood up, taking a deep breath. The labyrinth of heartbreak was still there, but she was finding her way through it. She was learning to navigate the twists and turns, the ups and downs, and for the first time, she believed that she would come out the other side stronger.

Jo walked over to the window, staring out at the city lights. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew one thing for sure: she was going to be okay.

She was going to find herself again.

And that? That was enough.