“Daniel,


    I tried to reach you, but I couldn’t. And maybe it’s better this way. I’m not good at long explanations, so I’ll get straight to the point. I can’t take it anymore, Daniel. Something’s missing. Maybe I’m not giving you what you deserve, or maybe we just can’t complete each other. Our relationship is held together by understanding, but inside, it’s rotten. I’m sorry, Dani. I’m going back to my parents’ place for a while. And after that… I don’t know. Don’t look for me. I love you, but I don’t want to see you. I don’t know how to explain it…”


    And that was it. He was both disappointed that it was so short and relieved he couldn’t read more. And somehow, he’d been expecting this ever since he stepped off the train. The idea that he and Emma might break up had planted itself like a seed in his mind, and throughout the entire journey, it was all he could think about. He wondered how he could win her back, how he could reignite the spark in their relationship.


    Finding the house empty only confirmed it. She was nowhere to be found. He noticed her luggage was gone too. And then he read the letter.


    But none of that was the worst part.


    The worst part was that he actually felt relief.


    He picked up his phone and scrolled to her number. During their time together, he’d often wondered what he’d do if he lost her. And he’d never found an answer.


    Well, here it was now. He didn’t want to call her, but it felt like the right thing to do. Because that’s what grown-ups do, isn’t it? They don’t write letters. Especially not in times when you can build a real person out of metal.


    He swiped his finger across the phone and found her number. He lingered on it for a few seconds. Then he deleted it.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It might not have been manly, but she’d made her choice. And if he’d kept it, he risked texting or calling her again one day.


    The lonely days of a man pass a little differently. Especially for a man recently abandoned. He’d seen it in his friends. And every one of them had told him to do exactly this—to erase all contact with the girl he’d broken up with. So he did. And to some extent, he felt relieved by it. Maybe it would’ve happened sooner or later anyway. And it was better that Emma had ended it first.


    From the fridge, he could tell Emma had been here not long ago. The vegetables, which she mostly ate, were still fresh. So she’d decided this in the last two days. No, he shouldn’t fool himself. Emma had probably decided this months ago. She’d just found the right moment to act on it now.


    Daniel opened the small liquor cabinet. A few bottles were missing. Clearly, Emma had been drinking. He grabbed one—a gift from Jasper—opened it, and sat at the table. He downed the first glass in one gulp. The second, he savored.


    When he finished the second glass, he picked up the letter again. Had she thought about it for long? He didn’t believe so. She hadn’t put in much effort. She’d scribbled down the most obvious nonsense someone might write and then vanished.


    He drank a third glass and went to bed. He lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. He remembered a dream about an open window and rain. Did it mean something? He didn’t believe in dreams or fortune-tellers, but why not? He’d had that dream about two days ago. In it, Emma had been crying. Had she cried when she left?


    He grabbed his phone and dialed Jasper.


    “Hey, bro?”


    “What’s up, Jas?”


    “Honestly? I’m lying here staring at the ceiling. It’s so boring here. And knowing I’ve got work tomorrow… I just want to die.”


    “Feel like drinking?”


    “Always.”


    “Grab Colin and meet me at our spot.”


    “Tonight? We just got back…”


    Daniel hung up. He didn’t feel like explaining more. Jasper didn’t need much convincing. Daniel was sure he’d be there.


    And he was.