I dressed up, ready to get new clothes
But this time not his taste.
Mine.
I picked up the gift he gave me and left the house.
I went to a boutique close to his apartment and chose something I truly liked—a black slit dress, designed with silver stones that glittered under the light, paired with silver heels.
Then I went to the salon to get my hair done.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I paused.
For a moment…
I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me.
I looked beautiful.
Not because of him.
But because I finally chose myself.
I headed to his house to return the gift.
I shouldn't have gone there.
But heartbreak has a way of pulling you toward the very thing that's breaking you.
His door wasn't fully closed.
That alone made my heart uneasy.
I stepped closer.
Slowly.
Quietly.
And then I heard his voice.
Soft.
Gentle.
The same tone he never used with me.
"I miss you too," he said.
He paused.
Then a quiet laugh.
"No… she doesn't mean anything special like that."
A slight scoff.
"She's so boring."
My chest tightened.
My feet froze.
I couldn't move.
"I'm just with her for now," he continued.
"It's easier this way. She's… convenient."
Convenient.
The word didn't break me.
It emptied me.
I didn't realize I had stepped inside until I heard something else,
A second voice.
Not from his phone.
From inside the room.
A female voice.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Familiar.
My heart stopped.
Slowly, I turned.
And there she was.
Jessica.
Sitting comfortably on his bed.
Like she belonged there.
Her head resting on his chest as they talked.
"What if she finds out the gift is one of my old clothes?" Jessica said with a laugh.
"The one I was tired of and wanted to throw away?"
She smirked.
"I can't wait to see her face."
They both laughed.
Then his eyes met mine.
He stood up immediately.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"When did you get here?"
I couldn't speak.
I just stood there
numb.
"Wait… listen, it's not what you think"
But his voice lacked urgency.
Lacked fear.
Lacked… love.
Jessica smiled
Not kindly.
Not apologetically.
But like someone who had already won.
"You didn't tell her?" she asked, tilting her head.
He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated.
"I was going to"
"When?" she cut in. "After how long?"
I felt like I was watching something I was never meant to see.
Like the truth had been happening behind my back all along
and I was the only one who didn't know.
Or maybe I knew.
I just refused to accept it.
"Tell me what?" I whispered.
Silence filled the room.
You could hear a pin drop.
Jessica stood up and walked toward me.
Slow.
Confident.
"We never broke up," she said simply.
The world went quiet.
"What?" I whispered.
She shrugged.
"He told you I left him, right?"
A small smile curved her lips.
"That was easier than explaining the truth."
She paused, then added coldly
"And besides… you don't deserve to know the truth."
I looked at him.
Desperate.
Hoping, just once, he would deny it.
He didn't.
"I was going to tell you," he said.
My heart pounded painfully.
"Then what am I?" I asked.
He hesitated.
And that hesitation
said everything.
Jessica answered for him.
"You?" she said softly."You're just something to pass time."
My breath caught.
"He was with you because I traveled," she continued.
"Now that I'm back… you're no longer needed."
The same words.
The same meaning.
And suddenly everything made sense.
The forgotten birthday.
The distance.
The half-love.
I wasn't hard to love.
I was just never the one he chose.
Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
Not here,Not in front of them.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
They both looked confused.
"For finally telling me the truth."
I turned to leave, still holding the gift.
"You can take it with you," Jessica said mockingly. "It's yours anyway."
She smirked.
"And thanks for picking my birthday gift. You actually have nice taste… but I can't accept anything chosen by someone like you."
She glanced at me.
"Your hair looks good, though."
I dropped the gift.
And walked away.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Even though every step felt like I was falling apart.
I made it home.
But I couldn't rest.
Their words replayed in my head over and over again.
I lost my appetite.
I couldn't think.
Couldn't function.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
The party…
Was it real?
Or just another way to humiliate me?
Part of me felt relieved.
Like I finally knew the truth.
But another part of me
was broken.
Bitter.
That night, I made a promise to myself.
No one would ever break me like this again.
My phone rang.
It was him.
"You're still invited to the party," he said.
"Even if that will be the last time we see each other."
I said nothing.
And ended the call.
The next morning,
he sent me the address.
Along with a message:
I'll be expecting you.
I stared at my phone.
Then I smiled.
"Okay," I whispered.
Let the game …..