So this was his "business trip."

I let out a hollow laugh. At least I had not said anything about the apartment yet. If I had, I truly would have had nothing left.

I got out of the cab and headed upstairs, pulling out my key to unlock the door. But no matter how much I turned it, the lock would not budge. Then the key snapped in half.

I stared at the broken piece jammed inside the lock and called a locksmith.

Once the locksmith got the door open, he glanced past me into the apartment. His brow furrowed. He gave me a long look, clearly wanting to say something but holding back.

Then he frowned and asked, "You sure this place is yours?"

I nodded.

He shook his head. "You young people really ought to keep up with the cleaning."

He gave me one last pointed look and left. I had no idea what he meant until I stepped inside.

The apartment was buried in garbage. Clothes were thrown across every surface. The custom dining table I had painstakingly picked out was covered in leftover takeout containers.

When I got closer, I could see mold growing inside them. Flies circled overhead, and the stench hit me so hard it felt like it was bouncing off the inside of my skull.

On the wall hung a large, prominently displayed couple's portrait. Kyle and Anya smiled back at me from the frame.

I clenched my fists and reached for my phone to call Kyle, but he called me first.

"Sally, did you go to the apartment?"

I bit back my anger. "Yes."

Kyle paused for a beat, then continued in that careless tone of his.

"Well, since you already know, I might as well just tell you. I lent the apartment to Anya a while back. You know how it is. She just got back to the country, she doesn't know anyone, and she needed a place to stay.

"The place was sitting empty anyway, so might as well let Anya move in and put some life into it. It makes it easier for us when we eventually move in too.

"Oh, and since you're already there, could you tidy up a bit for her? She's still young and a kid at heart. Don't hold it against her if the place is a little messy."

I glanced at the disaster zone of a floor, then up at the wall where a piece of hand-embroidered silk art had been slashed to ribbons. I said nothing.

My mother had made that piece. She had stayed up night after night for an entire year to finish it. And Anya had destroyed it like it was nothing.

I gritted my teeth. "You gave her the apartment without even asking me?"

Kyle sounded caught off guard for a second, then fired back.

"What are you throwing a fit about now?

"It's just an apartment. I only let her stay there because it's close to the office. It makes her commute easier so she can focus on contributing to the company.

"She's my junior from school. Letting her crash at the apartment for a while isn't going to kill anyone. Is this really worth getting this worked up over?

"And if you hadn't been so stubborn about refusing to let me bring Anya home with us in the first place, I never would've had to come up with this arrangement!"

My clenched fists trembled.

Kyle had once suggested bringing Anya to live with us in our house. I had put my foot down.

We had a massive fight over it, and Kyle left with Anya in tow.

I assumed he would rent her a place or put her up in a hotel. It never crossed my mind that he would hand her the apartment I had prepared for our wedding.

My parents had helped pay for that apartment. Half of the money had come from their retirement savings. And Kyle had just given it away like it meant nothing. He even let Anya change the locks.

How thoughtful of him.

When I did not respond, his voice dropped lower.

"Are you done? Look, everything I do is for our future. Anya's got an overseas education. Talent like that doesn't come around every day. If she stays with the company, our prospects are only going to get brighter."

"Once we're married, we're going to need money for everything. And you're the one who wants kids, remember? Even if you won't think about the future, I have to think about it for our children."

Kyle said it with absolute conviction, like everything he did was for the future. But I did not want to hear his excuses anymore.

No matter how he dressed it up, it was always about Anya. Maybe from the moment he personally brought her into the company, she had always been special to him. Or maybe his heart had been somewhere else all along.

It had just never been with me.

I exhaled slowly. "Kyle, let's break up."

The moment the words left my mouth, the weight I had been carrying in my chest finally lifted.

The line went silent.

After a long pause, Kyle's voice came back, barely restraining his anger. "Sally, what the hell is this now? Didn't I just explain everything to you?

"You want to break up over an apartment? We've been together for nine years. I was with you through your entire youth, and now you want to throw all of that away? Do you even have a heart?

"You stay right there. I'm coming back, and you're going to say this to my face."

He hung up without waiting for a response.

Beside him, Anya had overheard the whole thing. Seeing how furious he was, she blinked back tears and said in a small, guilty voice, "If I'd known this was going to cause a fight between you two, I never would've moved in. I would've slept on the street before I let that happen.

"When we get back, I'll apologize to her and beg her not to break up with you. This is all my fault. Every bit of it."

Kyle's expression softened instantly. He reached over and wiped the tears from her face.

"This isn't your fault. You don't owe her an apology. She's not actually going to go through with it. She's just blowing off steam.

"I'll say a few nice things to her when we get back and she'll calm down. Didn't you say you really liked that apartment? I'll have her transfer the deed to your name."

Anya's eyes lit up at that.

She hesitated, putting on a show of reluctance. "Are you sure? That's supposed to be your wedding home..."

Kyle shook his head. "It's fine. It's just a place. We're not short on apartments.

"Come on. Let's head back now and have her take care of the paperwork."

…

I stared at the screen as the call disconnected. The second half of what I had wanted to say was still lodged in my throat. "I mean it."

I laughed bitterly at myself.

All these years, he had always been like this. He never considered how I felt. Everything revolved around what he wanted.

I had gotten used to it a long time ago. I took the ruined silk embroidery off the wall and placed it carefully inside my suitcase, then called a cleaning service to take care of the apartment.

I threw every last one of Anya's belongings into the trash. Then I called a real estate agent and listed the apartment for sale.

If we were over, I had no use for a wedding home. It was a shame, though. It was a beautiful place, and I had poured so much of myself into it.

Fortunately, the location was prime and the market was hot.

It did not take long before a buyer came by to view it. They looked the place over once and made a decision on the spot. The paperwork was processed immediately.

Once everything was settled, I booked a plane ticket.

I handed the freshly cut keys to the buyer, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the airport. I boarded the next flight to Millbrook.