Seven Years As His Backup

Synopsis

I had been with Ryan Stone for seven years, and for six of them, I was his second choice. He was devoted to the girl he could never let go of, while I gave him my whole heart. Then one day, I came across a post from his first love, Susan Cooper, on her social media. The first photo showed a blue horizon of sea and sky, and the second was a sunset. The caption said: [I'm back.] I stared at those two images for a long time, strangely calm. That was when I realized I didn't love him anymore. At some point, my heart had stopped fluttering when he tossed out a casual "good morning". I no longer rushed to soothe him when he lost his temper in public. To me, he had become the most familiar stranger in my life. Still, I kept taking care of him, the way I always had. I made his breakfast, poured his water, and squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush. I set the AC to the temperature he preferred. I said goodbye, just like every other day. Without looking up, he drawled, "Come home early tonight. I'll make you a steak."