Upon hearing my statement, Mason's face darkened immediately, he said, “You don't get to talk about her like that. You have no right. Don't forget, I'm the one supporting you and your family…”

I wanted to retort. I was the one who lent him money for his business and when his business bloomed, he helped my family. Instead of helping my family with the money I had, I had given it to this ungrateful jerk to start up his own business. Had he forgotten about that?

Before I could speak, Jess gently held Mason's hand and said, “Mason, I'm fine. Don't be angry at Liana because of me. I'm sure she didn't mean to call me that.”

“Enough, Liana. Stop embarrassing yourself. You're making this a big deal.” Mason sighed.

“Let me remind you that I was the one who lent your broke ass money to start up your business. Well, I don't blame you but I blame myself for being a fool. Goodbye Mason.” As I said, and turned to leave, Jess held my hand and I jerked my hand from her. I staggered back and fell to the floor.

“Liana!” Mason reached out to grab me.

But when Jess cried, he immediately turned to hold her hand from falling, leaving me to fall to the floor. I felt a sharp searing pain in my elbow. The sound of my body hitting the hardwood echoes through the room. Mason's voice, once full of concern, now seemed distant, focused on Jess's tears. 'Liana!' he called out, but his actions betrayed his words. He didn't move to help me, leaving me to struggle up, alone and humiliated.

He glanced at me, a flicker of guilt flashing in his eyes when he said, "Liana, are you okay? You shouldn't have done that. Now, look at what you've done to yourself. Should I take you to the hospital?”

“Mason, I think I twisted my ankle…” Jess cried out.

Mason's gaze shifted between the two of us.

“I will take her to the hospital…” Brad, a college friend of ours, came out to say. It's been years since I've last seen him and he has changed. He has changed in a good way.

I noticed the frown on Mason's face when Brad said that.

I quickly agreed and Brad helped me up, his hand on the small of my back.

We left the house and he helped me into his car.

He had a look on his face that I couldn't quite understand.

“What a show, right?” I said, trying to start up a conversation.

“You shouldn't let a man like Mason treat you like that. You deserve better…” Brad replied and just continued driving.

When we got to the hospital, he helped me out of the car. He was so gentle.

“It's been years. So what are you up to?” I asked, trying to ease the tension that seemed I was the only one feeling.

“I'm a medical doctor and I own this hospital.”

“Wow, a doctor,” I said, trying to hide my surprise as I leaned on Brad’s arm for support. The awkwardness melted slightly, replaced by a strange warmth I hadn’t expected to feel.

Brad smiled, a hint of pride flashing in his eyes as he held the hospital door open. “Things changed a lot after college,” he said, guiding me to a small examination room. “And it looks like things have changed for you too.” His voice softened as he helped me settle onto the exam bed, but his expression told me he’d seen enough back at the party to know everything hadn’t been ideal.

I forced a small laugh. “Changed is one way to put it. More like crashed and burned.”

He met my gaze, his voice firm but gentle. “No one deserves to be treated the way he treated you, Liana.”

Before I could respond, a nurse entered to tend to my arm. Brad excused himself, letting her wrap my elbow in ice and elevate it. As I lay back, eyes closed, I felt the weight of everything, the years with Mason, my family’s expectations, Jess’s betrayal—bearing down on me.

The door creaked open, and Brad stepped back in, holding a cup of water. “I figured you could use this,” he said, handing it to me.

“Thanks, Brad,” I murmured, taking a sip. My voice was low, almost cracking under the weight of it all.

He pulled up a chair and sat down, giving me a moment of silence. Finally, he broke it. “I’m here if you need someone to talk to. Even if it’s just venting.” His tone was genuine, with no judgment, just kindness that I hadn’t felt from anyone in a long time.

I took a deep breath. “You know, I spent four years with him. Four years building a life, thinking I was with someone who cared about me.” I shook my head. “Turns out he was just using me, using my support, my loyalty. And I just… I let him.”

Brad nodded slowly, his gaze steady. “You gave what you thought was love to someone who didn’t deserve it. But it doesn’t define you, Liana. It just means you have more strength than you realize.”

Those words struck me, and I felt a lump rise in my throat. It had been a long time since anyone reminded me of my own strength. “Thank you,” I whispered, meeting his gaze.

The nurse returned, wrapping up my ankle and saying I’d be good to go soon. Brad walked me out of the room, his hand steady on my back as we made our way down the hall.

As we reached the exit, he looked at me seriously. “Listen, if you ever need anything, a friend or a doctor or anything, I’m here. No strings, no judgment.”

“Thanks.” I replied.

Brad drove me home and when I go the house me and Mason shared. I began packing my luggages. I can't stay here anymore.

I remembered those days I'd see expensive bags, designer shoes on Jess and I'd ask her where she had gotten all of those. She had said it was her secret lover and I had laughed over it not knowing it was my man gifting her all of those.

The times Mason would ‘like’ every post Jess made on social media, I had ignored that. And when I'd smell the same perfume Jess wore on Mason several times. I had ignored all those signs.

“I guess it's time to leave…

The drive back to my hometown was cold and silent, my mind churning with everything that had happened. Breaking things off with Mason hadn’t just meant losing a fiancé; it also meant facing my family, who had always held Mason in such high regard. My parents were thrilled when he came into my life. To them, he was everything I wasn’t—successful, steady, respectable. And he’d made himself indispensable by helping with the family business. They would take his side, no question.

And to even think our wedding is in a week's time, I just had a feeling they will side with him. But I'm sure they won't when they find out he actually cheated on me.

As I pulled up to my parents’ house, I braced myself. I hadn’t called ahead or warned them that I was coming alone, knowing exactly what I was in for. But this visit wasn’t about them. I was here to collect a few things from my childhood room, to remind myself of who I was before Mason came along and before my family’s expectations began to weigh me down.

My mother’s face lit up as she opened the door, but the moment she saw that I was alone, her expression darkened. “Where’s Mason?” she demanded, her arms folding over her chest.

I took a deep breath. “He’s not coming, Mom. We broke up.”

Her eyes narrowed, mouth already forming a line of disappointment. “What did you do this time, Liana?” she snapped. “Did you push him away? Do you have any idea how much he’s done for us?”

I swallowed, feeling a familiar pang of resentment settle into my stomach. “Mom, it’s not what I did—it’s what he did. He’s been cheating on me for years with Jess, and I’m done pretending everything’s fine.”

She shook her head, not even a hint of shock on her face. “Oh, I don’t want to hear any of this nonsense! Mason has helped this family for years, running around for us, making sure we’re okay financially. And now you’re just going to throw him away like that?”

“It’s not nonsense,” I said firmly. “I’m not going back to him. He’s lied to me, used me, and it’s over.”

At this, my father stepped in, coming up behind my mother with that same disapproving look. “Liana, you know how hard it is to find a good man. Mason is reliable, smart, and successful. You could’ve looked past his flaws. No one’s perfect.”

“Looked past his flaws?” I repeated, my voice rising. “He lied to me, to you, to everyone. And you want me to just ignore that?”

My mother scoffed. “If you’d just put in a little more effort, been a little more flexible—Mason wouldn’t have been driven to cheat. Do you think any man would want to put up with you being so stubborn?”

The words stung, but I knew I couldn’t let them break me. I was tired, yes. Drained, for sure. But I wasn’t about to let them guilt me back into that prison of a relationship.

“I’m here to grab a few things, and then I’m leaving,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. “And this time, I don’t want you contacting Mason on my behalf. If he’s willing to betray me, then he doesn’t deserve any part in this family.”

They watched me with faces full of disappointment as I walked upstairs to my old room. It looked almost exactly the way I’d left it—posters on the wall, my bookshelf packed with old novels and journals from college. I began packing a few things into a small bag, trying to focus on the sound of my own breathing rather than the whispers of judgment coming from downstairs.

I stuffed my favorite old books into the bag, each one a small piece of who I used to be, before Mason. I even found a dusty, forgotten photo album buried under a stack of papers. As I flipped through it, images of happier, simpler times stared back at me—times when I’d laughed freely, before I’d given so much of myself away trying to meet everyone’s expectations.

As I headed back downstairs, my mother was waiting at the bottom, arms crossed. “You’re really going through with this, aren’t you?” she asked, her voice like ice.

“Yes,” I replied, meeting her gaze. “I’m doing this for me, Mom.”

She scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “I always knew you’d be selfish, Liana. Mason was a good man, and you’ll regret this. No one else will put up with you the way he did.”

A knot formed in my stomach, but I kept my head high, refusing to let her words sink in. “If being selfish means I don’t have to keep sacrificing my happiness to please everyone else, then yes, I’m going to be selfish.”

I brushed past her, pushing the door open and stepping outside, feeling the cool wind against my skin. As I walked to my car, I took one last look at the house. A part of me would always feel connected to it, but I knew this would be the last time I’d come here for support or validation. I had to learn to give those things to myself.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, I exhaled, finally letting go of the tension that had knotted my shoulders. For the first time in years, I felt lighter. I was walking away from a past that had tried so hard to define me and breaking the ties that had held me down for so long.

As I started the car, I whispered to myself, “I don’t know what’s ahead, but I know it’s better than this.”

I drove away, leaving behind my mother’s bitter words, my father’s disapproving gaze, and the ghost of who I’d been in that house.

But where am I going to go?