If you are heartbroken, you are extremely sad because of something that has happened. The word sits on the person, not on the news. Love is the classic cause — someone leaves, a promise breaks — but death, betrayal, and a hope that dies can leave someone heartbroken too. It is a strong everyday adjective. People say it about themselves and about others. You can be heartbroken and still go to school the next day; it does not always mean you cannot function. Though actually, some speakers use it more loosely — I'm heartbroken the concert was cancelled — when they mainly mean very disappointed. The full, serious use is still the main one, and that is the meaning a learner should hold first. Keep the set straight: you are heartbroken; the story is heartbreaking; the hurt is heartbreak.