Broken Engagement, Berlin Escape

gagement ring, ready to surprise

hing "couple's bracelet" with his "

y dinner because she had a "pa

own relationship, I quietly transferre

m wouldn'

ent, dragging my mother along to

ork, he handed me

t smell hit me-he was trying to dr

t, but I didn't

McKee-Britney's terrifyingly po

k, Graham," Harrison gr

one is

pte

Graham's anniversary, and mine. I clutched the small, velvet box in my pocket, the one holding the cu

anything about our anniversary. Nothing. That was fine. He probably wanted to be surpr

ere, unmistakable, was Graham's hand, intertwined with hers. My breath hitched. It was just a fleeting moment, a quick pan o

y their hands rested together, so natural, so comfortable... It screamed something more. I tried to tap

onfirm my deepest fears? The logical part of my brain, the engineering stude

phone buzzed.

ething I couldn't quite place. Not excitement, not w

ary, remember?" I tried to keep my voice light, a fragile a

ugh me. "Katelyn, I told you I was really busy with an i

t. Not "our anniversary." He wasn't playing along. This wasn'

hug, a sweet gesture. His words were cutting, but his actions always spoke love. Now, there was no warmt

at, trying to sound calm, trying to build a wall around my

be there soon." The words were an obligation,

ute felt like an hour. The romantic surprise I' d meticulously planned had curdled into a bitter wait. My p

rced smile on his face. He looked handsome, as always, but his eyes were distant. He walked towards me, a practi

ow, a semblance of the old Graham returning.

alien, devoid of genuine connection. We walked towards the car, hi

e driving. My eyebrows shot up. "Wow, new car?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, bu

h, a good deal." He didn't elaborate. Didn't

r bracelet, intricately woven, glinted there. I' d never seen it before. Graham was

words escaping before I could stop them. My eyes ling

h rising on his neck. "Oh, this? Britney got it for me. A

The bracelet. It was all clicking into place, a horrifying puzzle. He never wore jewelr

remembered the Instagram story again. The delicate silver... was it on Britney's wri

ust a bracelet. Don't make a big deal out of nothing." There was

miliar London streets blur past. My mind raced, replaying every conversation, every video call since he'd left. The gaps, the mi

t he didn't pull into his usual street. Instead, he turned down a grander a

ting my eye. "I'm staying here for a bit. Thought it would be more

o check out the London engineering programs. Thought it would be a good surprise, you know, for my transfer application.

a stray hair from my face. "That's... wow, Katelyn. That's amazing. I didn't think you'd ac

k, no matter what. I remembered pouring over university pamphlets, researching every program, imagining a future by his side. All of it, a monumental effort fueled by a love I thought was mutual. I had even contact

away slightly. "You know how I ge

d in, his lips finding mine. It was a soft, hesitant kiss, a ghost of intimacy. My mind reeled, tr

is eyes flying open, a look of pure panic flashing across his face. He snatched his phone, his

ney

you? I'm so scared. My anxiety is

ok, Katelyn, something just came up. A... a family emergency. I need to go." He stuffed his ph

It was a cold, hard fact. I knew. I knew he was going

. I knew where his priorities lay. He wasn't e

Then he nodded, a quick, jerky movement. "Okay. I'll call you later." And he wa

into the search bar. Scrolling through images, my blood ran cold. There it was. The exact bracelet. And in the comments section, a f

a declaration. And the Instagram story, the intertwined hands

spinning around me. The surprise. T