Elena sat across from Michael at their usual café table, the same place where they once dreamed about their future. His eyes were bloodshot and shoulders slumped. 

“Is it true you’re really leaving me for her?” he said with his voice cracking. 

Elena’s throat tightened. She had rehearsed this moment endlessly, but facing him shattered her.

“Michael… I’m so sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen. But I can’t walk down that aisle. I don’t love you the way a wife should.”

The conversation stretched painfully. Michael didn’t yell. He just looked devastated, asking quiet questions she struggled to answer honestly. 

When Elena finally left the café,...