The Breakup

I stuck by him, through thick and thin, for thirteen years, from the time he had nothing until he hit the big time.

Everyone said I'd finally made it.

Then, one night, I accidentally saw a text on his phone: “If it weren't for the family pressuring me, I would have broken up with her ages ago."

That same night, I packed my bags and left, no looking back.

Three months after the breakup, he completely lost it.

1

It was three in the morning.

Liam's phone kept buzzing and pinging, and he was sound asleep next to me, his heart rate steady.

I stood by the bed, watching message after message flood his screen.

Besides the ones congratulating him on his proposal from earlier in the day, the ones that jumped out the most were over twenty texts from Liam's mom. Curiosity got the better of me, so I tapped on them.

"You ungrateful brat, how can you say something like that? Are you even human?"

"When our family was in the dumps, Mia was right there with you, eating beans and toast. You get rich, and you completely forget about her?"

"If you dare screw over Mia, I swear I'll just drop dead."

I frowned.

This was definitely not the time for this.

Just earlier that day, Liam had planned this huge, over-the-top proposal for me. On a yacht, in front of all our friends and family, he got down on one knee with a ring. The ring was still on my finger, even though I hadn’t really wanted it all that much.

I scrolled up.

I found Liam's texts.

"Mom, I only see Mia as family now."

"If you all weren't pushing me to propose, I would've broken up with her already."

"Even if I ever felt something for her, thirteen years together just isn't exciting anymore."

The curiosity vanished.

I wasn’t really surprised. It was like I had been expecting this all along. I didn’t feel sad; in fact, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Liam’s been acting cold for the past three months. I’d just chalked it up to stress from work. I didn’t nag him about it. I certainly didn't throw a fit, and even went to the trouble of making his favorite pork bone soup and brought it to his office.

But his secretary turned me away at the door.

I stood there with the soup for five hours before he finally came out. He was with a beautiful client, and they were having a ball together.

When he saw me, Liam's face froze for just a second. He didn't care who was watching, he just coldly said, "Why aren't you gone yet?"

That's when I realized the soup was cold.

And so was he.

That same day, I got photos of him going into a hotel with that same secretary.

The guy who, at twenty-one, stood outside a jewelry store pointing at a diamond ring, saying he was going to marry me, now, at thirty, was cheating, being emotionally distant, and flat-out saying he had wanted to break up with me for a long time.

Liam made it.

And I, who had been there through all his struggles, had become a burden.

After thirteen years, even the most treasured belongings become old and lose their shine. People are the same way. ...