5. The Decision

That evening I carried a small suitcase into our bedroom.

Brandon followed me upstairs.

At first he laughed.

“What exactly are you doing?”

I opened the closet.

“Leaving.”

His smile disappeared.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

I continued folding clothes.

“I’m moving in with my sister.”

The color drained from his face.

Then came the transformation I knew so well.

The anger vanished.

The vulnerability appeared.

His voice softened.

“Baby, come on.”

I kept packing.

“Don’t do this.”

Years earlier, those words would have broken my heart