Charles and I had been together for six years. After we found out I was pregnant, marriage became a priority and we decided to go to the Town Hall today to get our marriage certificate.

But just before we were about to leave, he got a call from his so-called sister, Jenna Shepard.

He told me, "Take a taxi. I'll meet you at the Town Hall entrance after I deal with Jenna," and then rushed out.

On my way there, I got into a taxi accident. Panicked, I tried calling him, knowing his college friend was the hospital director and could pull some strings.

But he hung up on me three times. Then, I got a voice message from him, "What’s going on now? I told you Jenna is upset. Can’t you just wait a bit?"

I was holding my aching stomach and sent a voice note back, "Charles, I had a car accident. My stomach hurts and I’m scared the baby might not be okay."

But my message wasn’t delivered. I stared at the red exclamation mark on the screen and realized I had been blocked.

Four hours later, I was out of surgery, having narrowly survived. The doctor told me the baby didn’t make it.

I laid there, staring at the ceiling, hands on my empty stomach, tears quietly falling. I didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

It wasn’t until I smelled food from the bed next to mine that I remembered I hadn’t eaten all day.

I picked up my phone to order some takeout and when I unlocked it, I saw my TikTok was still open. The first video that popped up was from Jenna.

In it, she and Charles were having a candlelight dinner and he kissed her on the forehead. The caption said, [As long as he is there, I will always be brave to start over again.]

Seeing their happiness felt like a punch in the gut. I couldn't hold back and dropped a comment, [You scumbags deserve each other.]

——

The next day, I checked out of the hospital. The doctor told me I had only been there for a short time but still needed a week to recover, so I took some time off work and stayed home.

Walking back into my apartment, everything felt different, like I was in a whole new world. The past couple of days had made things crystal clear.

Looking back on everything with Charles, I finally realized that the only reason we lasted six years was because I was the one always compromising. I loved him, so I kept letting things slide.

But after losing the baby, that was it. I didn’t want him anymore. I started planning to move out and officially break things off.

It was about 10 p.m. when Charles walked in, all smiles, looking like he was in a great mood. But as soon as he saw me, his face dropped. He asked, "Sydney, what are you doing?"

I looked up, totally confused and met his angry gaze. I had no idea what I had done wrong this time.

He walked over to the bed, grabbed my phone and tried to unlock it, only to realize I had changed the password.

He tossed my phone aside with a frustrated look. "Delete that comment about Jenna! She just broke up with her boyfriend and is feeling down. What's wrong with me being there for her as a brother?"

He shook his head. "You're a woman too, so why would you do that to Jenna? She's my mom's goddaughter. If anything was going on between us, it would've happened a long time ago. I wouldn’t be with you!"

I had heard this from Charles so many times before. If this had been before, I would probably be yelling at him by now.

But now, I just felt numb. I nodded like I was on autopilot and put on a mask. Charles didn’t expect me to stay so calm. It threw him off and he seemed a little panicked.

He walked over to me, trying to stay patient. "Sydney, I’ve known Jenna longer than we’ve been together. I swear, she is like a sister to me. And I’m marrying you, what else do you want?"

I just stared at him, like I was seeing him for the first time. His tone made it sound like marrying me was some kind of favor he was doing.

I felt a mix of things in my chest, but it all came out in a quiet voice. "Let’s not get married. Let’s break up."

Saying it actually made me feel a little lighter.

Charles’s face went blank. "What did you just say?" he asked, like he couldn’t believe it. I had never said "break up" before.

In all the years we’d been together, our fights always ended with him throwing a tantrum and me apologizing. We never even brought up breaking up.

"What are you talking about? We’re getting married soon and you’re going to be a mom. Can’t you just understand?" Charles looked at me like I was being unreasonable.

He knew how much I loved him, so he probably thought I was just throwing a fit, that I didn’t actually mean it.

"I don’t—" Before I could finish, Charles’s phone rang. He checked the caller ID, then picked up.

"Charles, the wind on the rooftop is too strong here, I feel so uncomfortable," a soft voice said from the phone. We were standing so close, I could hear every word.

"Jenna, stop crying, just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you." Charles said as he grabbed his coat and started heading out.

He turned around before leaving, adding, "I don’t have the energy to deal with you every day. Think about whether you want to marry me or break up." Then he slammed the door behind him.

I just stood there, watching him walk away, feeling like a fool.

Charles had never comforted me as his girlfriend, but now he was rushing off in the middle of the night to calm another woman just because she was upset.

That night, Charles didn’t come back and the next day, I started packing.

I tossed out everything that reminded me of him; couple shirts, matching necklaces, Polaroids, the stuffed animals I got him at the mall. All those little things with memories of Charles went into one big bag.

While cleaning up, it hit me, most of my stuff was tied to him. The things I was throwing away filled four bags, while the stuff I was keeping barely fit in two storage boxes.

It took me five days to get everything sorted. But by the end, I was sure of one thing: nothing related to Charles would be part of my life anymore.

During those five days, Charles didn’t contact me once. No calls, no messages. I only saw what he was up to through Jenna’s TikTok.

She posted videos of them at the amusement park, feeding her food, playing kissing games.

Every time she posted something new, it showed up in my feed, even though I’d already clicked "not interested" more times than I could count.

I finished packing the last of my things into a suitcase and started looking for places online. After some browsing, I found a house in Bridgeside District that seemed perfect.

I booked a viewing with the landlord for the next day, hoping it was a good fit so I could move in right away.

Later that evening, Charles came home. When he saw the two suitcases on the floor, his face instantly dropped.

"Sydney, you're really leaving?" He sounded guilty, like he finally realized how messed up he had been staying out all night these past few days.

I just nodded. Seeing my calm reaction seemed to throw him off.

He stepped closer, wrapped his arms around me like he was trying to fix things. "Sydney, don't be mad, okay? Jenna's just like a sister to me. If it makes you upset, I won’t see her anymore once she's feeling better."

I looked up and saw the red lipstick mark on his collar. My stomach turned. I pulled away from him and said flatly, "No, I wish you happiness, though."

He stumbled back, clearly annoyed. "How long are you gonna keep this up?"

In the past, a softer tone from him would’ve been enough to get me to back down, but not this time. He tried again, his patience running out. "So, what’s it gonna be? Are we getting married or not?"

I just stared at him, quiet. I thought about everything; the way he had spoiled me, the way Jenna had pushed my limits.

I could’ve brought up the photos she sent, but what would it matter? He would find an excuse, like always.

I wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I just turned and went back to the bedroom without saying another word.

Charles was fuming, chasing me into the bedroom as he let it all out. "Can you stop being so cold? Jenna is like a sister to me. She’s upset because her boyfriend hurt her. I can’t just ignore her!"

He stormed around the room, clearly frustrated. "I went to the Town Hall right after comforting her. I waited for you for two hours, but you didn’t show up. I don’t even get what the problem is. I’ve already set everything up. Next Monday is a good day. We’ll go to the Town Hall, get the certificate and name your baby."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I felt so angry, tears just started pouring down.

My baby bump hadn't shown yet since I was only two months pregnant, so even though I had lost the baby, Charles had no idea.

But I couldn’t forget that he hung up on me three times when I was in that car accident, leading to the miscarriage. And now, he was standing there talking about naming the baby.

I shot him a cold look and said flatly, "I already had the abortion and we’re done. Please stop bothering me."

Charles froze, staring at me like I’d just slapped him. "What? You did what?" His voice was sharp with disbelief. "Are you serious?"

His emotions completely flipped and he nearly shouted, "I told you to get rid of the baby before, but you said it was a blessing and we’re the right age for marriage, so I agreed. We’ve talked about it forever and now you’re telling me you had the abortion? What the hell is going on with you?"

Each word cut deeper. I had spent all these years bending over backward for Charles, hoping to marry him, build a family and live that perfect life. I dropped hints about wanting a big proposal, but he didn’t care.