Chapter 1
"Honey, I finally made it!" I called out excitedly.
I pushed open the door, but the bedroom was empty.
"Ryan?"
His closet door hung open. Every piece of clothing—gone.
I rushed to the living room. A note sat on the couch.
[We're done.]
Two words.
I called him.
"Sorry, the number you have reached is not available."
He'd even blocked me on WhatsApp.
Half an hour ago, I'd gotten my Nurse Practitioner offer.
Three years of grinding, and I finally passed the exam and landed the job.
But half an hour later, he'd cleared out everything and left me with two fucking words.
I collapsed onto the couch, staring at that note.
Three years together. Gone, along with all his stuff.
Three years of studying my ass off, and my dream finally came through.
But all he left me was "We're done."
I let out a bitter laugh.
Three years of hell, and I finally landed the job.
But he'd already jumped ship for someone else.
*****
I stared at my phone, the notification still shining on the screen.
[We are pleased to inform you that you have successfully passed the interview...]
Three years.
Three whole years of this.
The first year, I failed the exam.
The second year, I got booted at the job interview.
Third time? I made it.
I'd wanted Ryan Miller to be the first person I told.
But he was already gone.
I walked into the bedroom.
The bed was still there—all bought by me.
The nightstand was still there—my purchase too.
The closet was still there—yep, mine as well.
But his clothes? Vanished.
I opened the drawers. His watch, belt, socks—all gone.
Not even a pair of boxers left behind.
I walked into the bathroom.
His toothbrush, razor, face wash—gone.
Only my makeup was left sitting on the sink.
I went back to the living room and picked up the note again.
[We're done.]
Messy handwriting, black pen.
I flipped it over—nothing on the back.
No reason. No explanation. No apology.
Just two words.
I tried calling him again.
"Sorry, the number you have reached is not available."
I sent him a message on WhatsApp.
A red exclamation mark appeared.
Message was sent, but he wasn't accepting them.
He'd really blocked me.
I sank back onto the couch, staring at the empty living room.
The TV was still there—mine, of course.
The couch was still there—yeah, I paid for that too.
The coffee table was still there—also mine.
But his game console? Gone.
His sneakers? Gone.
Even that beat-up backpack of his was gone.
Three years ago, I'd just graduated and was working at a pharmacy. He worked in tech operations.
We met at a friend's party.
He said he liked my smile.
I said I liked his voice.
Three months later, we got together.
A year later, we rented this apartment together.
Two bedrooms, one living room, 800 dollars a month.
He said once he got promoted and got a raise, we'd buy a place and tie the knot.
I believed him.
But two years slipped by.
No promotion. No raise.
I quit my job to study for the NP exam full-time. No income.
I paid the rent. The utilities. Bought the groceries, did the cooking.
He made three thousand dollars a month.
But he never gave me a cent, not once.
I asked him once where his money went.
"House payments," he said.
"What house? We're renting."
"The one back home. My parents bought it, but I'm making the payments."
I let it go.
Now? Fucking laughable.
I walked to the bedroom and pulled open the nightstand drawer. Empty.
The closet drawer at the bottom. Empty.
The storage cabinet on the balcony. Nothing.
Not a single trace of him left.
Not even a damn thing.
I went back to the living room and sank onto the couch.
My phone rang.
It was my mom.
"Em, did you get the results yet?" she asked.
"I passed, Mom."
"Really? That's amazing! Em, I knew you could do it!" Her voice was pure joy. "What about Ryan? Is he happy for you?"
I stared at that note.
"He... yeah, he's happy," I replied, forcing a smile.
"Wonderful! So when's the wedding?"
"Mom, I gotta go. Talk later."
"Okay, sweetie."
After hanging up, I leaned back on the couch.
There was a crack in the ceiling. I stared at it for a long time, mind blank.
Three years studying for that exam.
Three years he stuck around.
And truth was, three years I bankrolled everything.
Rent? 800 a month. Two years—nineteen thousand two hundred dollars.
Groceries, bills, daily expenses—at least a thousand a month. Twenty-four thousand over two years.
His clothes, shoes, electronics—seven thousand, easy.
Birthday and holiday gifts—another three thousand, minimum.
When he was hospitalized, I paid two thousand dollars.
Add it all up? At least 50 thousand dollars.
Fifty thousand dollars.
I made two thousand dollars a month at the pharmacy. Twenty-four thousand a year.
Saved 48 thousand over two years.
The rest came from my parents.
My parents were farmers, and I was their only daughter.
They scraped by so I could have a good life.
But I poured all their hard-earned money into Ryan.
Now he was gone. Didn't even leave a proper goodbye.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Don't cry.
Just don't cry, Emily.
Crying wouldn't change shit.
It wouldn't get my 50 thousand dollars back.
And it sure as hell wouldn't give me those three years back.
I blinked myself back to reality and grabbed my phone.
First, I called my parents to share the good news.
Screw Ryan. Epic fail on my part.
I called Mom. "Mom, I finally made it."
"Em, I'm so happy for you!"
"Mom, I'm coming back tomorrow."
"Of course! I'll make you your favorite chicken soup!"
After hanging up, I got to my feet.
Time to pack up and head home.
As I walked into the bedroom, something on the nightstand caught my eye.
A phone.
Ryan's phone.
He'd forgotten it.
I picked it up—the screen was dark.
I pressed the power button, and the screen lit up.
Locked. Needed a password.
I tried his birthday—wrong.
Tried mine—still no luck.
Our anniversary—bingo.
His home screen was bare. Just WhatsApp, Venmo, TikTok, and Fortnite.
I opened his WhatsApp.
Our conversation was at the top.
The last message was from me this morning.
[Results are out today. I'm freaking out.]
He replied with an emoji: [You got this! You're totally gonna nail it!]
I kept scrolling.
Two hundred and thirty-seven contacts.
I started checking them one by one.
Work buddies, friends, family, old classmates...
At the very bottom: Sophia from work.
Cartoon profile picture.