Confession Before the Tombstone

“Valentine’s Day. My ex-girlfriend, Sarah, sent her wedding invitation to our group chat. My friends’ profile pictures popped up one by one, sending their well wishes. Mine stayed silent. Someone joked, ““Dude’s probably kicking himself. Sarah’s a billionaire now, a real-life princess from a wealthy family, you know.”” ““He was such a goddamn idiot, now he can’t even lick her boots.”” I broke up with Sarah the year she loved me the most, and jumped into the arms of a rich woman. Now she’s got it all – career and love – and she’s rubbing it in my face. My profile picture remained stubbornly still. Sarah sent several red envelopes in the group chat, looking smug as hell. ““What a goddamn money-grubbing moron! The money’s right there, and he won’t even pick it up?”” ““Better than selling your ass to some rich hag for pennies,”” someone else chimed in. The group erupted in laughter. Then, someone quietly added, ““Ethan’s dead. He died alone and destitute, didn’t even get a chance to sell his ass.”””