Chapter 4

"And back when you graduated, you had better options in Capital City, but you insisted his mom's health was bad and you were worried he'd be too busy at work to look after her, so you took a job here at home. He's barely come back these past few years. You're the one who's kept it all together!"

"Now that he's made something of himself, he never once mentioned ending the long-distance thing. Instead he goes and cheats! Flirting with another woman right in front of you, spending every dollar he earns on someone else!"

Listening to my best friend's cursing, I felt the tears slide down before I could stop them.

Every word she said was true. But the old me had believed that as long as he truly loved me, it didn't matter if he never spent his money or his time on me. Just being with him was worth it.

Now, though, I looked at the notification on my phone. Maxine had posted an update, a photo of herself wearing the very necklace Herbert had bought her, smiling bright as sunshine.

It wasn't long before Herbert showed up in the comments.

"You deserve the very best of everything."

Maxine replied almost instantly: "Mm-hmm! I want to be with you always, Mr. Harding."

Only then did I notice that the couple's profile picture he and I had used for five years had been changed at some point, swapped out for a matching set of pink rabbit avatars, his paired with Maxine's.

Back when the long-distance had just begun, Herbert had picked out a couple's avatar set and asked me to use it with him.

He'd said, "This way it's like we're together."

And now, I was the only one still using that broken other half.

My tears fell onto the phone, yet the words on the screen stayed painfully clear.

Seeing all this, Yolanda sighed. "I'm not blaming you. I just think you deserved better."

"Since you've decided to break up, and there's no room to move up in that job of yours anyway, why not come work at our company? The pay's a lot better than what you're getting now."

"I'll come. Thank you, Yolanda." I nodded hard, wiping at the tears about to fall.

Since the relationship was already broken, it was time for me to go.

The next day, after I finished packing, I made a trip to Herbert's house.

His mother was in poor health, and over the years I'd gone every few days to look after her, all so Herbert could work with peace of mind.

Now it was time to say goodbye to her too.

The moment I pushed the door open, I saw the last two people I expected: Herbert and Maxine.

He was supposed to have gone back to Capital City, yet for some reason he was here.

When he saw me come in, Herbert shot me an impatient glance and spoke with a sneer. "Didn't you say we were breaking up? What's this little act now? Trying to win me back under the excuse of sucking up to my mom?"

Maxine chimed in from the side, all softness. "Barbara, if you can't let go of Mr. Harding, you can just say so. There's no need to be so coy about it."

Herbert's mother sat nearby, displeasure clear in her voice. "Herbert, that's enough out of you. And you, you have no right to speak here."