For five years, I played the part of the perfect girlfriend. The small-town girl from Idaho who adored her brilliant project director boyfriend, Ralph.

I hid my family’s hotel empire to protect his fragile ego.

He repaid me by canceling our wedding forty-nine times—always for his assistant Olivia.

The forty-ninth time he ditched me, I smiled and said it was fine.

He promised to bring my favorite clam chowder as an apology.

He forgot I was deathly allergic.

That's when I decided to delete him from my life.

Now he's begging for another chance, saying he can't live without me.

Too bad. I'm not the woman he abandoned at the courthouse.

This time, I'm the one watching him break.

————————

1

Today was marriage attempt number forty-nine with Ralph.

We were outside the King County Courthouse in Seattle.

I stood in the drizzle, a migraine pounding behind my eyes, but Ralph didn’t even look at me. He was in the car, on the phone, soothing his new junior assistant, Olivia.

“Don’t panic, I’m on my way.”

On the other end of my own phone, my parents could only sigh.

“Seriously? Again? Does he even care about you, honey?”

Everyone knew how badly I wanted this one to stick.

But right before our appointment, he bolted. Again. I chased him to his car, but he stopped me before I could get in.

“Olivia formatted the hard drive. The final renders are gone. I have to go salvage it. We’ll reschedule. Next time, I swear.”

Then he jumped in his car and sped off.

Five years. Forty-nine canceled marriage registrations.

Every single time, it was because of her.

I used to scream, demand answers, even beg him to stay.

This time, I just smiled. “It’s fine. I’m sure Olivia can’t wait.”

He blinked, thrown by my reaction. “Right. Hey, I’ll bring you some clam chowder from Pike Place Chowder tonight.”

I nodded. He rolled up the window and was gone.

My smile vanished the second he was out of sight.

I hate clams. I’m allergic to shellfish.

He knew that. I’d told him the first time he suggested it. I tried to be polite, just saying I wasn’t a fan, before admitting it would land me in the ER. He’d even made a note of it in his phone, promising he’d never forget.

Year after year, he never remembered.

The rain was cold, but my heart was ice. I let out a sharp, humorless laugh, got back in my car, and drove off.

Back at our apartment in Capitol Hill, I opened my laptop and deleted the virtual home we had designed together.

It was time to delete the last five years, too.

It was my parents who called to comfort me.

“Come back to Portland,” my mom pleaded. “Why are you putting yourself through this?”

They had asked me this so many times.

I slumped in my chair, staring out at the gray Seattle sky. Portland. Home to my family's hotel empire. The only reason I became a concept artist was to escape it all. I was supposed to join the family business right after graduation from RISD, but then I met Ralph.

I followed him to Seattle instead.

He came from a working-class family in Wisconsin and hated any mention of status. To protect his fragile ego, I hid my last name.

For five years, he thought I was just another girl from Idaho, trying to make it on her own. In those five years, our projects won awards for three years straight. Everyone called us the industry’s “golden couple.”

I used to think that one day, he’d be ready for all of me. That day never came.

I sighed. None of it mattered now. “Okay,” I finally said. “I’ll come back.”

Relief flooded their voices. “Good girl,” my mom said. “We’ll book your flight. You can’t stay there and suffer.”

After hanging up, I heated up some leftovers and mindlessly scrolled through Instagram. Olivia’s latest post was at the top of my feed. It was a picture of her in skintight Lululemon, snuggled up to Ralph at Gas Works Park.

The caption read: Dragged a certain project director to watch the sunset with me. He was grumpy at first, but I promised him a ‘special’ reward tonight, and he gave in hehe.

I felt sick.

He wasn’t coming home tonight. Same old story. Thank God we never signed the papers. I was done.

The next morning, I packed my bags and went to the office to resign. My boss, Mr. Henderson, tried his best to convince me to stay. While we were talking, Ralph strolled in.

One look was all it took. I saw the mark on his neck. He reeked of Olivia’s sickly-sweet perfume. He looked like he’d just crawled out of bed after a long, satisfying night.

Funny. He used to hate it when I left marks on him, calling them “tacky” and “unprofessional.” So, even in our most passionate moments, I would just dig my nails into his back, carving all my fire where no one could see.

I guess it wasn’t the marks he hated, just who was leaving them.

Mr. Henderson sighed. “Perfect timing. Talk to your girlfriend. She’s quitting.”

“It’s not about him,” I said flatly.

“You’re quitting?” Ralph’s voice was sharp. He stared at me, his jaw tight. “I knew it. You’re still mad about yesterday.”

Mr. Henderson discreetly left the room. As the door clicked shut, Ralph stepped closer. “I told you, Olivia messed up. That’s why I canceled. Why are you being so dramatic?”

“I’m not mad,” I said, my voice even. “I’m just tired.”

He crossed his arms. “Then take a vacation. Quitting like this makes it look like you have a problem with Olivia. How is a new girl supposed to fit in if people are whispering?”

He forgot. All my vacation days had been burned on his canceled registrations. But sure, let’s worry about poor Olivia. The thought left me hollow.

My gaze drifted back to the bite mark on his neck. I said nothing. He noticed me looking and quickly pulled up his collar. “Scraped it at the gym. Don’t overthink it.”

Just another lame excuse I used to believe. I nodded, staying silent.

He let out a breath, a grin spreading across his face. He slung an arm around my shoulder. “That’s my girl. Don’t quit over this, okay? I’ll make it up to you. Dinner at Canlis tonight.”

I didn’t say a word. He took my silence as a yes.

“Ralph!” Olivia burst in without knocking.

He flinched, dropping his arm.

She gave a fake little laugh. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have a ZBrush question…”

Without another glance at me, Ralph walked over to her. She pressed herself against him, her chest brushing his arm, their heads close together as they whispered. She was in her own little world with him.

Then she linked her arm through his and strutted out. Just before the door closed, she turned, flashed me a smug smile, and slammed it shut.

Bang.

The office was silent.

And then—snap.

The Mobius strip bracelet on my wrist broke and fell to the floor. It was our first-anniversary gift, a symbol of our infinite, unbreakable love.

I stared at it for a beat, then quietly picked up the pieces. Ignoring the sting in my heart, I tossed them—and whatever we had left—straight into the recycling bin.

After my exit interview, I went back to my desk to pack.

Julia, my coworker, watched me with a sad expression. “Are you really leaving, Alyssa? Now I’m stuck watching those two all day.” She nodded toward Ralph and Olivia.

He was presenting Olivia with a brand-new Herman Miller ergonomic chair. Her eyes lit up.

Then, she saw me. She panicked. “Alyssa! I swear, there’s nothing going on! This is just standard issue for new hires!”

All eyes turned to us. In five years, he’d never bought me any decent office equipment. Everyone here thought I was just some girl from Idaho who wouldn’t even know what a Herman Miller was. Their pity felt like a slap.

Even Julia was fuming. “He’s letting them make a fool out of you!”

I squeezed her hand. Calm down. Then I looked at Olivia. “It’s a great chair. It suits you.”

She blinked, clearly expecting fireworks. “Really, it’s just a normal chair. Please don’t be upset.”

Upset? Not even close. I had chairs like that in storage back in Portland.

Ralph stood up, frowning. “Alyssa, stop being unreasonable.”

I sighed. “I’m not mad. You all really need to stop imagining things.”

He stared, then rolled his eyes. “You’d better not be.” He sat back down and helped Olivia adjust the chair.

Julia leaned in. “You’re just going to let that slide?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. We’re done.” After forty-nine failed attempts, I was beyond caring.

Later, Ralph came over to my desk. “Hey, reservation at Canlis is for eight. Let’s go.” He noticed my bare wrist and froze. “Where’s your bracelet?”

“Left it at home. Didn’t want to break it.”

He relaxed. “You used to wear it every day. Why stop?”

Before I could answer, Olivia bounced over. “Ralph, I’m ready!”

He turned to her instantly. “Wait for me in the car.” She made a beeline for his Tesla’s passenger seat. In five years, I had never sat there. He always said it was for his future wife.

Olivia shot me a smug look. I just dipped my head. It didn’t hurt anymore.

At Canlis, they sat cozied up on the same side of the booth, ordering without a glance at me. I didn’t care. I just rested my chin on my hand and stared out at the Puget Sound. After tomorrow, none of this would matter.

When the food arrived, he slid a small plate of smoked salmon toward me. “The salmon here is great.”

I looked up, catching his soft smile. I was surprised he even remembered I existed.

But Olivia jumped in. “I picked this place! Last time, he ate three whole plates himself!”

Ralph blushed. “Why would you say that in front of my fiancée…”

She giggled, then looked at me. “Oops, sorry, Alyssa. Didn’t mean to ruin his image.”

They laughed together.

I stared at the salmon. Suddenly, it looked disgusting. I pushed the plate away. “Not my thing. You guys finish it.”

They went quiet. “Are you upset?” Ralph asked carefully.

I shook my head. “Nah. Just a bit too strong for me.”

Just like you two. Sickening.

After dinner, Ralph walked a drunk, clinging Olivia home. I closed the door behind them, then called a Lyft to the airport. Ralph was still blowing up my phone, texting about the next registration attempt.

Ralph: Don’t worry. This time it’ll happen. Nothing will stop us.

Me: Okay.

But I already knew. It would be just like the others. Right before I boarded, another message came through:

Ralph: Olivia’s heater is broken. Not coming home tonight. Take care.

I laughed. A cold, quiet laugh. I saw it coming a mile away.

Me: No problem. Stay at her place. I’ve moved out. We’re done. Goodbye forever, Ralph.

I blocked his number and deleted our entire chat history. On the plane, I watched the lights of Seattle fade into the distance.

Back there, Ralph was probably still staring at his screen, stunned.