Chapter 1

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She only begged me to stay after I had grown completely numb to her tears. But by then, there was no going back.

I sat at the dining table, staring at the untouched meal in front of me. The food was growing colder with every passing minute, much like my heart.

Today was my birthday.

But it was also Sarah’s childhood friend Daniel’s birthday.

I opened Daniel’s Instagram, already knowing what I’d find.

Sure enough, there was a brand-new post on his feed:

“Grateful for another birthday spent with you. Here’s to celebrating many more together!”

The photo was simple: two hands forming a heart over a birthday cake. One of them was Sarah’s.

She was wearing the necklace I had given her.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then hit the “like” button.

Setting my phone down, I swept all the dishes off the table—her favorite foods—and dumped them into the trash.

Then I grabbed my keys and headed to a restaurant.

This time, I ordered my own favorite meal to celebrate my birthday.

From now on, I’ll make sure to enjoy every birthday for myself.