Sophie said she needed space. That’s how it started. She was going through something, wanted to “pause” the relationship. I didn’t understand how you pause something like love, but I told her I’d respect it. I didn’t like it. But I respected it.
A few days passed. I left a voicemail—gentle, just asking how she was and whether she’d had time to think. Nothing. No reply. I figured I was being ghosted, or worse, replaced. So I moved on in the smallest of ways: I adopted a cat.
I’d always wanted one, but Sophie had been allergic. Now, with her gone—whoever she was becoming—I figured it was time to stop holding back for someone who wouldn’t even return my calls.
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