The decision had been made long before that night. Accepting the bond marriage proposal from a neighboring family meant starting over completely. But I had lingered, secretly hoping Caleb would give me a reason to stay, a single gesture to prove I mattered. Instead, he had abandoned me, choosing Marina over me as though I had never existed.
That night, I found a large cardboard box and began the excruciating task of erasing every trace of our past. I packed away the personalized slippers with the “moon and star” motif he had once claimed symbolized our connection, the matching mugs that had clicked perfectly in my hands, and the small gadgets that buzzed when one of us was near. Caleb had insisted those little trinkets would remind me of his love when he was away.
At the time, I had cherished them. They had made me feel safe, invincible even, like nothing could break the invisible bond between us. Now, those same items were meaningless, hollow relics of a promise I had been too naive to question.