I let out a soft, bitter laugh, one that caught in my throat like a noose. It was a laugh of surrender, something breaking deep inside me that I couldn’t hold together anymore.
“Fine, then,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips. “I’ll let you go… and I’ll let myself go too.”
The moment I said it, my chest tightened, and my heart clenched so painfully I thought I might collapse from the weight of it because I’d heard it before. Five years ago.
Back then, we had nothing—not even a decent roof over our heads. Our tiny, rundown apartment was barely more than four walls, but we made it ours.
The only ring he could afford was a simple silver band.
But when he proposed, his eyes held a fire that made me believe everything he said.
“Elise, I promise you—wherever I am, that’ll always be your home. I’ll give you the life you deserve. You’ll never have to suffer again. From now on, it’s just happiness. Just us.”
I believed him. I didn’t hesitate. I said yes.
He was ecstatic, like a kid who’d just won the world. He lifted me up, and spun me around, laughing like we were the only two people on earth.