the ceiling. The smell of mildew was a stark contrast to the fresh linen scent of the bedroom upstairs, a room t

en, making a special breakfast for David Jr. David was at the table, read

bout our engagement," I sa

"What about it?" she asked, h

This isn't working. You've let them move in, you've kicked me out of our room, and

e future I want, Liam, is one where I'm not constantly catering to your mood

asked, my voice cracking. "I have loved you my en

ng. "Damaging my sense of security in my own home is hurting m

he had already made up her mind. The "time

y going through the motions of my shift, when a colleague showed me his phon

vid Jr. standing on the front porch of our house. They looked like a perfect family. The caption read: "Ne

from her friends, saying things like "You guys look

der in my home; he was actively replacing me, and Olivia was letting him. She was

ory, the promises-they all dissolved into nothing. The pain was sharp and visceral, a physical ache in

d, I drove to a cheap motel on the edge of town, the kind with flickering neon s

es, done with the one-sided eff

. My fingers trembled as I typed out a message. "You said to

steady now. The pain was still there, a cold, hard knot inside me, but it was overlaid with a sense of clarity. I was