But Brandon was doing well. Really well. He was at the top of his class, impressing his professors, getting excellent marks in his clinical rotations.
And he still loved me. Or at least I thought he did. He still said thank you when I handed him money for his textbooks. He still held me at night when we both finally made it to bed.
The cracks started showing in his third year. Brandon got accepted into a prestigious residency program, and suddenly he was around different people. Wealthy people.
His classmates came from families with money, families who could pay for medical school without blinking. Their wives and girlfriends wore nice clothes, got their hair done at salons, and talked about art galleries and wine tastings.
One night, Brandon came home from a study group and looked at me, really looked at me, for the first time in weeks. I was in my Save Mart uniform, my hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, eating cereal for dinner because I was too exhausted to cook.
«Grace,» he said slowly, «why don’t you ever dress up anymore?»
I looked down at myself, confused. «I just got off an eight-hour shift. I have to be at the office building in an hour to clean.»
«I know, but don’t you want to look nice sometimes? For yourself?»
I felt something cold settle in my stomach. «Brandon, I barely have time to sleep. When would I dress up? And for what? To scrub toilets?»
He didn’t say anything else that night, but the comments stuck with me. I started noticing other little things. The way he’d turn away slightly when I tried to kiss him goodbye in the morning, like my Save Mart vest embarrassed him.
The way he stopped inviting me to medical school events. The way he’d suggest I maybe take better care of myself. During his fourth year, the comments got worse.
He started comparing me to other people without even realising it.
«Jeremy’s girlfriend just started her own business consulting company, she’s really impressive,» he would say. Or, «Did you see what Dr. Sanders’ wife was wearing at the graduation preview? That’s the kind of elegance that really stands out.»
I tried. God, I really tried. I bought cheap makeup from the drugstore and watched YouTube tutorials at three in the morning, trying to learn how to look elegant.