“Elise… it’s all my fault… I just wanted you to be happy… If you’re hurting, sweetheart… then let go…”
And for the first time in five years, I finally did.
Elise’s POV
My mom’s last wish had changed. It wasn’t just about having one last family dinner anymore.
She wanted me to find happiness.
Her frail voice echoed in my mind, each word heavier than the last. My throat constricted, and my eyes blurred with tears that wouldn’t stop coming.
When I finally spoke, my voice trembled and cracked with emotion. “Hayes, you can’t give me the happiness I want anymore, can you?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he let out a slow, deep sigh.
“Elise… we’re in our late twenties now. It’s time we grew up. Whether we love each other or not… it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
There it was.
He didn’t need to say it directly.
I knew exactly what he meant.
He didn’t love me anymore.
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.
“From this moment on, you’re my wife. In this life and the next, we’ll never be apart. Don’t even think about making me let go of your hand.”
But now?
Now, he had forgotten every single word of that promise.
And he didn’t even bother fighting me on it.
Instead, he just said, “Fine. But don’t worry, Elise. No one can replace you. No matter what, my wife's position will always be yours.”