I was just about to open my mouth to reply when he reached into one of the boxes and pulled out a small music box. Inside was a spinning figurine of a bride in a white wedding dress.
His hand trembled slightly as he held it up and I noticed his eyes reddening.
“You’re throwing this away too?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
That music box was from years ago, back when we had nothing. He couldn’t afford a grand gesture or a ring, but he’d given me that little box, promising, “One day, I will make you my bride.”
I had believed him. But reality gave me a slap in the face.
Love doesn’t work when there are three people in the relationship. It was too crowded.
And I didn’t want to stay anymore.
To avoid unnecessary drama, I spoke gently, “You are overthinking it. I’m not throwing these things away. I’m letting the professionals do all the refurbishing for me. How could I not want them?”
Seeing the calm expression on my face, Vincent visibly relaxed.
“Okay,” he said, “I’ll arrange for someone to install a whole new set of cabinets at home to store these things properly.”
I nodded. “Aren’t you two heading to work? You should go. I need to catch up on sleep.”