"I was just thinking about how fast time's flown," I said. "All these years together... kinda hit me outta nowhere."

Matthew smiled, tapped my nose. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. We've got decades ahead of us."

Decades?

The word echoed in my head like a joke with a mean punchline.

Once trust is gone, all that's left is paranoia and pain. A lifetime of that? No thanks.

I forced a smile. "Alright. Decades it is. Let's light the candles."

As soon as I put the lighter down, the glow outside the window blinked out.

Suddenly, the candles were the only thing keeping the room from drowning in dark.

I checked my phone—12:30.

Matthew stood, walked to the big window. "Everything's out. Must be a blackout."

Then I remembered. "Oh—right. The building manager sent an email. Power was supposed to cut after midnight for maintenance."

He came back, still calm, still playing the part. "Kinda romantic, actually. Whole neighborhood's going dark just for your birthday. Make a wish."

I shut my eyes.

Right before everything went black, his phone lit up on the table.

And just like that, the pain came crashing back, sharp and ugly.

Eyes still closed, I peeked. Barely.

Matthew was unlocking his phone, frowning at a message. His face said everything.

It was her. I didn't even need to look.

My chest clenched. I closed my eyes again, but my head was spinning.

What do you wish for when the thing you want is already slipping through your fingers?

I wished I wouldn't die.

I wished I'd get pregnant.

I wished he'd cut her off.

Would any of it come true? Doubt it. My birthday was already over.

Then a ringtone cut through the silence.

I flinched, eyes flying open.

Matthew looked like he'd just been caught cheating on a test—fumbling to hang up before I could see.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you answering?"

He panicked. Obviously. It wasn't just some random ringtone—it was a custom one. Soft, girly, humming some love song like a lullaby.

Hers?

Before I could ask, the call ended. Then it rang again.

Matthew scrambled to stand up, but in the rush, he knocked over the whole cake—candles, frosting, everything—right onto my favorite dress.

Huge. Mango-colored. Stain.

"I'm so sorry, baby. Don't move, I'll clean it up."

He grabbed the mess, dumped his phone on the table.

But I knew better. This wasn't love. This was panic dressed up as guilt.

As soon as he left the room, I picked up his phone.

The message was still up.

[Matt, the power's out. I think someone knocked on my door. I'm scared. Can you come check?]

Vivian. Of course.

I put the phone back just as he walked in, cloth in hand. His eyes darted to the screen.

Nothing changed. He relaxed.

Cold crept up my spine.

I looked him dead in the eye. "What's wrong? You seem... distracted. Got somewhere to be?"

For a second, I thought he'd flinch. Thought maybe he'd feel something.

But he just stared at me, then sighed like it physically hurt him.

"Baby, something urgent came up at work. I might need to head out."

My chest tightened again.

All I could think about was that message.

[Matt, the power's out. I think someone knocked on my door. I'm scared. Can you come check?]

I looked at him. "Can you stay tonight? Power's out... I'm a little freaked."

It wasn't a lie.

When I was a kid, I got locked in a cellar on a trip with my parents—two days in total darkness. Ever since, pitch black freaks me out. I don't even sleep without a light on.

Maybe he remembered.

He froze mid-step.

For one second, I thought... maybe. Maybe I'd be the one he chose.

Then came his voice. Distant. Detached. Like ripping duct tape off skin that's already raw.

"Peyton, just go to bed. I'll lock the door, you'll be fine. You're tough, remember? You carried me home that one time, middle of the night."

And just like that, I felt something snap inside me.

He'd really changed.

The guy who used to look at me like I was his whole world wouldn't say something like that. Wouldn't use our past as ammo to dodge the present.

He was talking about that night—early startup days, when he stayed out drinking with clients until 2 AM. I walked him home, dragging his half-dead weight through a pitch-black alley.

My legs were shaking the whole time.

But I got him back. Cleaned him up. Stayed awake just to make sure he was okay.

Next morning, he hugged me like I'd saved his life. Swore he'd never let me walk in the dark alone again.

And now?

This whole apartment felt darker than that alley ever did.

Matthew walked out. Right over the pieces of my heart.

I curled up on the couch and didn't sleep. Not a second. Just laid there, feeling empty, waiting for morning to take the edge off.

When the lights finally flickered back on, the doorbell rang.

I opened it.

And there she was.

Vivian.

She didn't know I already knew. She smiled brightly and greeted me.

"Mrs. Langford, remember me? I'm Vivian. I've officially been hired. Mr. Langford's new secretary. Just here to grab some files."

My face didn't move. But I stepped aside.

She walked past, and without meaning to, my eyes dropped.

Her necklace caught the light.

I recognized it. It was the one I once saw under Matthew's collar. I'd thought he got it for me.

We'd seen it in a store once. I told him not to—too expensive.

I waited, thinking he'd surprise me with it anyway.

He never did. I got mad, then forgot about it.

And now... it was sitting on her neck.

The knife in my chest twisted hard.

That was the worst part. Not just finding out.

It was replaying everything through that lens. Rewriting every memory in real time. Realizing how much of it had been a lie. Letting it eat me alive, one little flashback at a time.

She grabbed the papers and turned to go.

Noticed me staring.

Paused.

Then slowly dropped her hand to her stomach.

"Three months now," she said softly.

I blinked. "Really? Didn't hear about any wedding."

She didn't flinch. Just looked up and said, "We're very happy."

She smiled.

But behind it, I saw it—the flex. The dig. The 'you already lost' in her eyes.

I looked away, nodded, let her walk.

The old me? I would've dragged her by the hair straight to Matthew and made him pick. Right there, on the spot.

But now?

I didn't even have the energy.

Years of grinding, building, sacrificing—for this? I was done. Just done.

And in that split second... I actually envied her.

She was carrying the child I'd been trying so hard to have.

I stood there, lost in the ache, watching her walk out.

And then—

It happened.