Vivian had loved John for three years.

For the longest time, she convinced herself that love meant staying through the difficult parts.

John had never been gentle.

He criticized the way she dressed.

He snapped when she asked simple questions.

He’d cancel plans without apologizing and somehow make her feel guilty for being upset.

Whenever they argued, he’d say, “You’re too sensitive.”

And every time, Vivian believed maybe she really was.

She kept hoping he’d change.

Then one afternoon, everything changed—but not in the way she expected.

John’s first love, Emma, came back to town after years away.

The moment he saw her, something in him lit up.

He smiled in a way Vivian hadn’t seen in months.

He laughed.

He listened.

He became the version of himself Vivian had been begging to see.

Only… it wasn’t for her.

Over the next few weeks, John barely answered Vivian’s texts. He constantly compared her to Emma without realizing it.

“Emma always understood me.”

“Emma never complained this much.”

“Emma remembers everything.”

Each sentence chipped away at Vivian’s heart.

Still, she stayed.

Maybe he’d remember the three years they had shared.

Maybe he’d choose her.

One rainy evening, Vivian and John were walking home after another awkward dinner.

John’s phone buzzed.

Emma.

His expression changed instantly.

“She’s nearby,” he said.

Vivian looked at him. “We’re in the middle of talking.”

“I know.”

“So…?”

“So I’m going.”

Vivian blinked. “You’re joking.”

“No.”

He glanced across the street where Emma was waving at him from a café.

Without another thought, he stepped off the curb.

Vivian hurried after him.

“John!”

He stopped for only a second.

“What?”

“You can’t just leave me here.”

“I’ll text you later.”

“You brought me all the way across town. I don’t even know this area.”

John shrugged.

“You’ll figure it out.”

Then he turned around and walked away.

Not once did he look back.