When Love Ceases

My boyfriend, Leon Burton, who worked in the research institute in Aetheris, had discovered an asteroid. When it was time to give it a name, he said he wanted to name it "Phoebe".

Phoebe Jones. That was the name of his first love.

I broke down in tears over it in the corner of the room. I had left my family to follow him to Aetheris, taking care of his every need. And yet…

Heartbroken, I called my mother. "Mom, I've decided to marry Nathan. I'm leaving Aetheris."

Puzzled, my mother hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Weren't you with Leon? Why do you suddenly want to marry his uncle, Nathan? Did Leon treat you badly?"

"It's nothing," I replied, taking a deep breath and trying to stay calm. "I just want to spend more time with you and Dad."

"Alright," she said. Her eyes quickly reddened with emotion, and she added excitedly, "I'll let Nathan know."

After ending the call, I turned to leave, pretending I had never been there.

Just as I reached the entrance of the research institute, my phone vibrated again. It was Abby Reid, one of Leon's colleagues.

As soon as I answered, her apologetic voice came through. "Rachel, I thought Leon was planning a surprise for you, so I told you to come over. I didn't expect…"

Her voice trailed off, making my heart ache.

Everyone at the research institute thought Leon would name the asteroid after me. After all, he had never mentioned it to me.

In five days, it would have been our fifth anniversary. I had always thought he would save it as a surprise gift. But the truth hit me hard, like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head.

When I didn't respond, Abby called my name again, still worried.

I wiped my tears and said, "Please don't tell Leon I came today. Thank you."

Back at home, I looked around the apartment we had shared for five years.

The 970-square-foot unit, provided by the institute, was full of memories of me and Leon.

As I stood there in a daze, the door opened. Leon walked in, still in his lab coat.

When he saw my pale face, he hurried over and asked, "What's wrong? You don't look good."

His eyes were filled with concern.

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

Still worried, he checked my temperature. When it seemed normal, he poured me a glass of water.

"The weather's been changing a lot between day and night," he said. "Be careful not to catch a cold."

But just as he was about to hand me the glass, his phone screen lit up. He glanced over instinctively, and his eyes widened in shock. The glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

I had never seen him like that. Before I could ask what happened, he put down his phone and rushed to the bedroom.

Two minutes later, he came out wearing a coat. "There's an urgent meeting. I'll be back late. Don't wait up," he said, his voice tinged with guilt. Then, he left quickly.

But in his rush, he forgot his phone on the table.

When I picked up a cloth to clean the broken glass, I accidentally touched the phone screen.

It lit up, showing a chat message.