“I’m leaving.”

Kris looked up from his book, shocked at the sudden declaration. Then, his eyes hardened and he schooled his expression into his usual poker face.

“Taking the easy way out?”

Kris and his girlfriend had been together for over four years. They had been a couple everyone envied. Good looking? Check. Sweet? Check. Loving? Check. Never was there a time when they fought, until now. Never was there a time they were at loggerheads, until now. Never was there a time when they did not talk, until now.

“Easy way out? It’s been two months. You call this an easy way out?”

Kris looked up at the girl in question. Her heavy luggage was on the floor, by her left hand. Her right hand rested on the door frame, helping her keep her balance in check. Her straight black hair was down, just the way he liked it. She was in her usual tee, shorts and sneakers, just what he liked seeing her in. She was biting her bottom lip, just the thing that always enticed him to kiss her. Her eyes were red and puffy, evidence of her seemingly endless crying. Kris’s heart broke at the sight, but his expression remained stoic.

“Yeah, it’s the easy way out, isn’t it? You decide to leave me in our apartment after an argument, without even consulting me.”

Her heart was already shattered, and she was in her most vulnerable state. Hearing that only intensified her pain, but she showed none of it and kept a strong front.

“Consult you? You don’t talk to me for two months, save for one-line responses whenever I try to start a conversation. Why on earth would I do that?”

“You expect me to talk to you like nothing’s happened after I see you with that guy?”

Kris was on his feet now. He was on the other side of the bed, while she was at the door. There was a distance of at least nine feet in between them, but that didn’t stop them from shouting at each other.

“I told you! That guy is my childhood friend! I showed you pictures as proof!”

“He told me he still loves you! He doesn’t see you as a friend! Don’t you get that?

Kris was seething with uncontrollable anger as he stepped closer to the door. She, on the other hand, was visibly shaking with frustration.

“Who cares if he sees me that way? The only person I ever loved was you!”

“Loved? Was?”

Kris’s voice dropped to a whisper. His anger was replaced by disbelief, heartbreak, and sorrow.

She turned around and walked out to the living area, pulling her luggage with her. Her tears were falling uncontrollably by now, and she didn’t want him to see her in that state. He’d think that he had won. He’d think that she was breakable. He’d think that she was miserable. True, it was breaking her apart. It was tearing her insides. But she would never let him know.

Kris rushed forward and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Her head was down, and her hair covered her face. He decided he didn’t like it when her hair was down. She tried to pull her wrist away, but Kris only tightened his grip. The harder she tried to pull, the tighter his grip would be. Her hand went limp, as she stopped trying to yank her hand away.

“Please don’t do this…”

Kris sounded so broken, so sorrowful. He choked, trying hard to not let the tears fall. He attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.

“I love you. Please stay.”

She suddenly wanted to stay. She wanted to comfort him, tell him she wouldn’t leave him. But she couldn’t. She had already made up her decision. She would never change her mind once it’s made up. That was weak. And she didn’t want to be weak.

“I can’t do that. I can’t stay with someone who is insensitive.”

She struggled to keep her voice steady and calm, not planning to show how she really felt.

“Tell me where I went wrong…”

She suddenly turned to face Kris. Her heart fell at the sight of him looking so broken.

“You went wrong when you didn’t believe me. You’d rather believe someone you just met than your girlfriend of four years. You didn’t talk to me for two months, but you were going around laughing and fooling around with your friends. Where did that leave me? Alone. Did you ever think about how I would feel? Did you ever consider the consequences of your actions? You know that I don’t have friends except for that stupid childhood friend. My friends left me. They found someone better. I don’t have anyone except you. I don’t have anyone to lean on except you. I don’t have anyone to be with except you. But you ruined it all when you decided that I wasn’t faithful.”

The guilt hit Kris like a tidal wave, knocking him off his feet. She was right. He was being stubborn, and he acted on his feelings and assumptions. He never considered her feelings. He never bothered to hear her side of the story. He didn’t even try to listen to her. All he had felt was anger. Even when she had written two sincere letters to apologise and make it up to him, he didn’t respond. He ignored her attempts to save their relationship.

“What? Now you finally realize the seriousness of what you’ve done?”

His head dropped and he let go of her wrist.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

His voice cracked. It never cracked.

“Sorry doesn’t do crap, Kris. Not now. Maybe it would have saved us two months ago, but not now. I waited for you to come back to me for two whole months. But you know what? I wasted that time. I should have left two months ago.”

She her heel and dragged her suitcase with her. Just at the door, she stopped. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kris in the same spot. Head down, his shoulders slumped.

“Kris?”

He looked up.

“Thank you for the memories for the past four years. I wish you all the happiness in your life.”

She slipped the ring off her finger and let it fall to the floor. The sound of metal against marble reverberated throughout the whole house. With that, she walked out. Walked out of the apartment they shared. Walked out of their relationship. Walked out of his life.

Kris dropped to his knees, finally letting his tears fall. He sobbed, sobbed harder than he ever had in his life. His hands went up to cover his face as he cried the little pieces of his broken heart out. He had never felt so alone.

“How can I be happy when I’m not with you?”

Kris’s voice was broken and he was croaking, but he didn’t care. He stared at the door, waiting for her to burst through it and tell him that she was not leaving him.

She never did.