Broken
1008 Words
Selene had never believed she would be the kind of woman who cried in a restaurant.
She had always imagined moments like this differently.
She imagined laughing so hard she would have to cover her mouth. She imagined calling her best friend afterward and pretending she was shocked even though she had secretly known it was coming. She imagined staring at a ring on her finger and feeling like all the waiting had finally been worth it.
Tonight was supposed to be the night her life changed.
She had spent almost an hour choosing what to wear, changing dresses twice before finally settling on the blue one Marcus always said brought out her eyes. She had arrived early because she was too excited to sit at home pretending she was calm.
The restaurant was beautiful.
Soft lights hung above the tables, couples whispered to each other, and a quiet melody played in the background. Everything about the evening felt perfect.
Almost too perfect.
Selene smiled as she watched the entrance, her fingers brushing over the small envelope in her purse.
She had a surprise for Marcus too.
She had been saving the news for weeks but she wanted him to have his moment first.
A waiter walked past her table and smiled.
Your husband-to-be is taking his time tonight.
Selene laughed softly.
Not yet. But maybe soon.
The words had barely left her mouth when the entire restaurant shifted .
The door opened and Marcus walked in.
Her smile appeared instantly.Then it disappeared Because he was not alone.
A woman walked beside him, her hand resting comfortably around his arm.
Selene stared For a second, her mind refused to understand what her eyes were seeing.
Marcus looked across the room and saw her.
He stopped.
The woman beside him followed his gaze.
A strange silence passed between them.Selene waited for him to explain.
She waited for him to walk over and tell her there was some misunderstanding.
She waited for the man she had loved for three years to look worried.
He didn't.
That was the first thing that broke her.
Not the woman beside him.
Not the whispers starting around the room.
Not even the way everyone seemed to understand something before she did.
It was the calmness on his face.
Like he had already accepted losing her.
Marcus slowly walked toward the center of the restaurant.
Selene's heart began beating faster.
No.
This couldn't be happening.
He stopped beside the woman.
Then he lowered himself onto one knee.
The room erupted . People smiled.
Some people near the bar clapped.
A woman at the next table whispered something excitedly.
Selene couldn't hear any of it.
The world had become strangely quiet.
Marcus opened a small box.
The same kind of box Selene had dreamed about seeing.
The woman covered her mouth, pretending to be surprised.
Selene stood frozen.
Her hands went cold.
Her eyes moved from the ring to Marcus's face.
Looking for guilt.
Looking for regret.
Looking for anything.
There was nothing.
When the woman said yes and everyone around them applauded, Selene felt like she was watching someone else's life.
A stranger's heartbreak.
A stranger's humiliation.
Because surely this wasn't happening to her.
Marcus finally looked at her again.
This time, he looked uncomfortable.
But uncomfortable was not the same as sorry.
Selene forced herself to move.
One step.
Then another.
The room slowly noticed her.
The applause faded.
Marcus stood up.
Selene stopped in front of him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
For How long?
Her voice was quiet, but everyone nearby could hear the pain hidden inside it.
Marcus looked away.
Selene laughed once.
A small, broken sound.
How long have you been planning this?
Marcus swallowed.
Selene Don't.
She raised her hand.
Not because she wanted to stop him.
Because she couldn't stand hearing her name from him anymore.
I spent three years believing I knew you.
Marcus looked down.
I never wanted to hurt you.
The words made something inside her crack.
Never wanted to hurt me?
She stared at him.
You brought another woman here. You got on your knee in front of me. In front of everyone.
Her voice shook.
How exactly did you think this would end?
The woman beside Marcus stepped closer.
Selene noticed the expensive dress, the confidence, the way she stood like she belonged there.
Marcus placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.
That small gesture told Selene everything.
She didn't need an explanation.
She already had one.
Marcus sighed.
I'm sorry, Selene. I should have told you sooner.
Sooner?
She repeated the word like it was something foreign.
You mean before I wasted years loving you?
His face tightened.
I cared about you.
But not enough.
The honesty was worse than a lie.
Selene looked at him.
Not enough?
Marcus took a breath.
I never loved you the way I love her.
The sentence landed harder than anything else.
The restaurant disappeared.
The people disappeared.
The music disappeared.
All Selene could hear was the sound of everything she had believed in falling apart.
She slowly reached into her purse and touched the envelope inside.
The secret she had been carrying.
The future she had been imagining.
The family she thought they were going to build.
She pulled her hand away.
No.
She would not give him that too.
Not tonight.
She nodded once.
Marcus looked almost relieved.
That hurt more than anger would have.
Selene turned around before the tears could fall.
She walked past the tables.
Past the strangers pretending not to stare.
Past the life she had walked into this restaurant carrying.
Outside, the cold air hit her face.
She stood on the sidewalk, completely lost.
Her phone buzzed.
She didn't check it.
Her heart was already broken enough.
Behind her, through the restaurant window, she could still see Marcus.
Smiling.
Happy.
Starting a new life.
While hers had just ended.
Selene wiped her face and looked up at the dark sky.
She didn't know where she was going.
- Writer
