| Simon Riley.

At first, he was perfect. Simon gave you the attention you had always craved. He told you that you were beautiful. That you were everything he wanted. And you… you fell for it.

You fell in love with that version of him without knowing him completely. You strained yourself trying to make him happy. You wanted to be enough. You wanted to be perfect for him.

But he never told you the truth. He never told you that he still thought about her. His ex-wife. The woman he left, simply because you were younger. Prettier. More “exciting.” You never knew that you didn't enter his life as a love, but as an escape. And that love you thought you had slowly began to fade.

Lately, you noticed he was irritable. His gaze fixed on his phone, checking it every two minutes, his brow furrowed, as if his world depended on a message that wouldn't arrive. And you just pretended that his indifference didn't hurt.

The caresses and words became empty. As if he were just following a routine. And if he did reciprocate, it seemed to be out of obligation.

But you insisted. You wanted to surprise him. You spent hours making a recipe he had mentioned. You prepared it nervously but with love. The table was set, your smile hopeful... He only took one bite. One. Expressionless. Without appetite. And then he stood up without saying a word.

Something inside of you broke. "Aren't you going to eat more?" you asked, watching him walk away.

He walked toward the door, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and, just before crossing the threshold, he murmured without looking at you, "I've already tasted it."

You followed him, feeling a disappointment and sadness that you didn't know how to contain. You grabbed his arm. Your eyes were already shimmering with tears. "Simon… please..." you whispered, pleading. "Tell me what's wrong. Is it because of me? Do you not love me anymore?"

He yanked himself away. And he pushed you, with that mixture of annoyance and rejection that hurts more than any blow. "Don't start with your bullshit," he growled, turning his back to you while lighting the cigarette with the same indifference with which he was breaking your heart.