"Then by all means, enlighten me. Tell me what's so wonderful about this woman that you'd throw away ten years with Millicent."
Kevin's face lit up, like someone had flipped a switch. Happiness. Sweetness. Devotion.
"She cooks for me. She irons my shirts—the ones that are always wrinkled."
"When the company hit a crisis, she pulled all-nighters with me, stayed by my side through every minute of it."
"Millicent? She just hid away in her hometown. Didn't check on me, didn't care. Couldn't even bring me a hot meal."
"So why should I stay with her?!"
He spoke with such righteous conviction, such passionate certainty.
As if he wasn't just convincing his parents—but himself.
Whispers rippled through the crowd of relatives and neighbors.
"Well, when you put it that way, maybe the Simmons girl really wasn't good enough. Isn't the whole point of dating to have someone who actually cares for you?"
I stopped in my tracks. A bitter lump lodged itself in my throat.
How laughable.
None of them knew—I had planned to stay in Capital City.
The opportunities here were endless. My dream job was everywhere I looked.
But Kevin wanted to start his business, and his parents were worried sick.