Gossip Girl Catastrophe: The Spoiler That Will Break Your Heart

Exclusive: Inside sources confirm that something terrible happens to two fan-favorite characters

Do not under any circumstances read this item if you love Gossip Girl and you don't want to be spoiled for a huge/major/giant tragic plot twist that's coming toward the end of the season.

No one is getting killed off, but what does happen is nearly as bad as a character death. Still want to know? Really? OK, but don't say we didn't warn you...

Chuck (Ed Westwick) and Blair (Leighton Meester) are breaking up.

If you lurk on the right message boards, you've already heard this awful news, but I can tell you now that the rumors are true, confirmed and, well, killing me.

My sources aren't even trying to make me feel better about this horrible twist. Insiders tell me, "It's a bad, bad breakup." Ugh!

Apparently, after almost a full season of near bliss between Upper East Side soul mates Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf, when the happy romantic scenes are finally snatched away from us, the culprit will be Chuck.

I'm told Chuck does "something horrible," and that everyone is going hate him for it. (Oh, Charles, you were on your way to being the paterfamilias of Gossip Girl's little gang, and now this! Betrayal and disappointment at every turn!)

Jack Bass (Desmond Harrington) is also implicated in the end of Chair, but of course, we'd expect nothing less from the likes of that villain.

No word yet on how long this relationshipocalypse will last, but apparently it begins unfolding in either episode 17 ("Inglourious Bassterds") or episode 18 ("The Unblairable Lightness of Being"), both of which are set to air in mid-April.