After I Lost All Hope, My Girlfriend Cried and Begged Me Not to Leave

I sat at the table, watching the food grow cold, much like my heart.

Today was my birthday, but it was also the birthday of Remy, Xena’s childhood friend. I opened Remy’s Instagram and saw a new post.

“Grateful to have you by my side every birthday. Let’s keep celebrating together for years to come!”

The photo showed two hands making a heart shape in front of a cake. One of them was Xena’s, wearing the necklace I had given her.

I liked the post, then put down my phone and dumped all of Xena’s favorite dishes I had prepared into the trash. I went out to a restaurant to order my own favorites and celebrate my birthday alone.

From now on, I would make each of my birthdays special - for myself.