My Mourning, His Celebration

Memories of happier times haunted me.For five years, I had poured my heart into Blake, shielding him from even the smallest slights.In return? He married another woman on the day I buried my father.The signs were there the moment Megan came back from abroad. I just hadn't picked up.That night, Blake didn't come home. When he finally stumbled in at dawn, his neck was dotted with red marks.Alex noticed, asking him what was going on.Blake exploded, blaming us for choking his freedom and doubting his fidelity.I came home to find Alex on the couch. He hit his head and blamed himself for overstepping.Blake was nowhere to be found.The next day, he returned with even more marks.I fought with him for the first time. I screamed, demanding answers, but he brushed it off, saying Megan was just a friend and calling us control freaks.He conveniently forgot how Alex had welcomed him like a son when we first got together.That fight planted a seed of pain in Alex's heart. His he

Blake didn't crumble as I'd expected. Instead, his face twisted into a mask of fury."What are you talking about?" he roared, his veins bulging in his neck. "I'm not breaking up. So, I missed Alex's funeral. What's the big deal? You're blowing this out of proportion. I'm here now, aren't I? What else do you want?"His rage was a storm, but I stood calmly in his eyes."If your daughter's fiancé ran off to marry someone else on your funeral day, could you forgive him?" I asked sharply. "You're the one living in a fantasy, thinking you can waltz back into my life after this.""So, you're ending us over this?" He staggered back, his face draining of color.I didn't even bat an eyelid.Even without Megan, our love had been dying for years. His heart had wandered long ago, and I was tired of chasing a ghost.I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist once again. He stammered, "It's not what you think. I just felt sorry for Megan."His excuse was pathetic, a recycled line he'd fed me

Arriving home, I pushed open the door, bone-tired from the day, only to find Blake sprawled on the couch.He scrambled to hide his phone, plastering on a fake smile. "Hey, you're back. There is good news. Michael is doing much better, and they're heading back to the countryside tomorrow."I nodded, barely listening, set the engagement ring on the coffee table and said, "Start moving your stuff out. We're done. It's not right to live together anymore."His smile stiffened. He lunged for the ring, clutching it to his chest like a lifeline."I said I'm not breaking up," he cried, his voice cracking. "I messed up, and I'm sorry. Can't you forgive me just this once?"His eyes brimmed with sadness, his fingers tugging at my sleeve.I blinked, caught off guard.In all our years, he'd never apologized. In his mind, every choice he made was for us, and I had no right to question him.Once, that apology would've melted me and pulled me back into his orbit.Now it was too late.I'd pour

The Northwest was a whirlwind of intensity and purpose.The program was cutthroat, filled with the sharpest minds. To stay, I had to be relentless.My days blurred into a cycle of training, note-taking, and late-night studying. I even cut back on my meal time, skipping them unless my stomach screamed in protest.The grind paid off.I secured a permanent spot and earned a rare chance to study under top researchers.Blake, meanwhile, never stopped trying to claw his way back. My phone buzzed with his messages, mostly mundane updates about his day and pathetic attempts to rekindle old memories.I deleted them all, not dignifying them with a single reply.When the program ended, I returned to headquarters with a promotion and a raise.As I stepped out of the building, Blake stood there, gaunt and hollow. His once-confident frame looked fragile.His face lit up with a smile as he rushed up to me. "I heard about your promotion. Congratulations!"I'd heard those words all day; they