The Man Next Door Wasn’t a Coincidence

“This is so real,” I muttered to myself. I can’t believe this is happening”.I murmured to myself, with tears running down my cheeks. “What could have gone wrong? Was I not attractive enough, or romantic enough?” I couldn’t help but ask myself. I was trying to hold back my tears, but no way, they flew down like a river. Heartbroken. Depressed. Frustrated. If someone told me, “Glory, Chris will break your heart someday,” I would just laugh and call them silly or, probably, jealous. But here I am now, feeling like my entire world has collapsed. Four years… That’s how long it took Chris to realize I wasn’t the girl for him. How could he be so mean to me after all these years?? I screamed so loud. What could be the problem? Did I become less sexy or beautiful? Did he get bored with me? I couldn’t help but mutter to myself. One week ago, after Chris told me he couldn’t continue with the relationship. “It’s over,” he said. And honestly, I haven’t been myself. I lost my appetite, so I couldn't eat. I can’t sleep properly. I couldn’t even function properly at work. What exactly went wrong ?? I kept on questioning myself. But… The truth is, before that, I sensed it... even though I didn’t want to believe it. I’d notice. The sudden urge to leave the bed after s*x, always saying he had work to do. The cancellation of our date plans, saying he had urgent meetings The late responses. He did take days to read my texts or return my calls. And trust me, I made up excuses for him.” Oh, maybe he's busy,” You know, work stress can really be frustrating I shrugged off the thought, even though it was crystal clear to me that he had changed. He was no longer the Chris I was madly in love with. He changed.. But I wasn’t ready to accept the truth. My phone rang. I glanced around the room searching for it, until I finally spotted it. The caller was my mom. I wasn’t in the mood to answer. I didn’t want to hear her voice. More than anything, I didn’t want her to hear the frustration and sadness weighing heavily on my heart. I wasn’t ready to explain the storms of emotions I was struggling to contain. I didn’t want her to ask about “Chris. “ I stared at the phone for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and steadying my voice. “Hi, Mom.” “How are you doing?” I asked. “I’m fine,” she replied warmly. “What about you? How are you doing over there?” How are things at work?” “Work is going well,” I answered. I couldn’t help but lie to Mom, if only she knew I had lost focus these past one week. The person who had once thrown herself into her work with enthusiasm now seemed distant and disconnected. I muttered the words to myself, barely beyond a whisper. But no matter how much I wanted to be honest, I couldn’t bring myself to say them out loud. to mom. “How is everyone at home?” “The family is fine, “she said. Then, after a brief pause. She asked,” And Chris? “How is he doing?” At that moment, my heart sank. I almost broke down. For a second, I didn’t know what to say. The words caught in my throat, and I struggled to keep my emotions under control. “He’s doing okay,” I finally managed to say. He’s doing fine.” “Oh, that’s good to hear,” she replied. “And please extend my greetings to him. And take good care of yourself, too. I just wanted to hear your voice.” “Thanks, Mom,” I replied. As the call continued, I fought hard to keep my composure, hiding the pain that threatened to spill through every word. Before hanging up, Mom spoke once more. “And please, take good care of yourself,” she said gently. “I will, Mom. You too.” After exchanging our goodbyes, the lines went silent. I slowly lowered the phone and stared blankly at the screen for a moment. The conversation was over, but the heaviness in my heart remained. For the past few minutes, I had managed to hold myself together, carefully choosing my words and hiding the truth behind reassuring answers. But now that the call has ended, there is no one left to convince. No one left to pretend. I was alone again—with my thoughts, and the silence that seemed to fill every corner of the room. I glanced at my phone. It was already 4:00 p.m., and somehow, Saturday was already slipping away from me. I haven’t even noticed the hours passing. The realization hit me hard. I hadn’t eaten all day. I hadn’t even gotten out of bed. All I had done was lie there and cry. I let out a long sigh and wiped my face. No, I couldn’t keep doing this to myself. I can’t continue like this. For starters, I needed to get out of bed. Maybe take a shower, get dressed, and step outside. There was a small café a few blocks down the street. Perhaps I could go there, have something to eat or take some coffee, and observe the world around me. Anything better than spending another minute trapped alone with my thoughts. Getting to the café, I ordered a cold brew and a sandwich. I scanned around and spotted an empty table tucked away at the far end of the café. I quickly made my way over and took a seat. It was quiet and secluded—exactly what I needed. As I sat there, my mind drifted back to everything that had happened. I couldn’t stop thinking about Chris. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification. I picked it up to see who had messaged me. It was my neighbor. He had sent me an image. The moment I saw it, my heart sank. It was Chris—standing beside another woman, his arm wrapped around her waist. Judging by the way they looked at each other, there was no doubt she was his new girlfriend. Or maybe she wasn’t new at all. Maybe she had been in the picture for much longer than I realized, while I foolishly lived under the illusion that I was the only woman in his life. Oh God. The thought hit me like a punch to the chest. Suddenly, every unanswered text, every canceled plan, and every moment of emotional distance took on a different meaning. Was she the reason our relationship had slowly fallen apart? Was she already in the picture before he ended things? Was she the reason he no longer seemed to enjoy being intimate with me? I couldn’t stop wondering. The questions kept circling in my head, each one more painful than the last. A wave of sadness washed over me. I didn’t know what to feel. Anger, heartbreak, disbelief—they all crashed into me at once. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. My heart felt as though it were being torn into pieces. The pain was overwhelming, crushing me from the inside out. I didn’t know how to stop crying. I didn’t know how to make the hurt go away. How could he move on so easily while I was still struggling to pick up the pieces of my broken heart? I quickly brushed the tears from my cheeks. Although I was sitting at the far end of the café, away from most of the crowd, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everyone could see right through me. I hated drawing attention to myself, especially in moments like this. The thought of someone noticing my tears only made me feel more vulnerable. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head. That’s when I noticed him.