"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.