After 49 Times, I Dumped Him

After my exit interview, I went back to my desk to pack.

Julia, my coworker, watched me with a sad expression. “Are you really leaving, Alyssa? Now I’m stuck watching those two all day.” She nodded toward Ralph and Olivia.

He was presenting Olivia with a brand-new Herman Miller ergonomic chair. Her eyes lit up.

Then, she saw me. She panicked. “Alyssa! I swear, there’s nothing going on! This is just standard issue for new hires!”

All eyes turned to us. In five years, he’d never bought me any decent office equipment. Everyone here thought I was just some girl from Idaho who wouldn’t even know what a Herman Miller was. Their pity felt like a slap.

Even Julia was fuming. “He’s letting them make a fool out of you!”

I squeezed her hand. Calm down. Then I looked at Olivia. “It’s a great chair. It suits you.”

She blinked, clearly expecting fireworks. “Really, it’s just a normal chair. Please don’t be upset.”

Upset? Not even close. I had chairs like that in storage back in Portland.

Ralph stood up, frowning. “Alyssa, stop being unreasonable.”

I sighed. “I’m not mad. You all really need to stop imagining things.”

He stared, then rolled his eyes. “You’d better not be.” He sat back down and helped Olivia adjust the chair.

Julia leaned in. “You’re just going to let that slide?”

I shrugged. “Yeah. We’re done.” After forty-nine failed attempts, I was beyond caring.

Later, Ralph came over to my desk. “Hey, reservation at Canlis is for eight. Let’s go.” He noticed my bare wrist and froze. “Where’s your bracelet?”

“Left it at home. Didn’t want to break it.”

He relaxed. “You used to wear it every day. Why stop?”

Before I could answer, Olivia bounced over. “Ralph, I’m ready!”

He turned to her instantly. “Wait for me in the car.” She made a beeline for his Tesla’s passenger seat. In five years, I had never sat there. He always said it was for his future wife.

Olivia shot me a smug look. I just dipped my head. It didn’t hurt anymore.

At Canlis, they sat cozied up on the same side of the booth, ordering without a glance at me. I didn’t care. I just rested my chin on my hand and stared out at the Puget Sound. After tomorrow, none of this would matter.

When the food arrived, he slid a small plate of smoked salmon toward me. “The salmon here is great.”

I looked up, catching his soft smile. I was surprised he even remembered I existed.

But Olivia jumped in. “I picked this place! Last time, he ate three whole plates himself!”

Ralph blushed. “Why would you say that in front of my fiancée…”

She giggled, then looked at me. “Oops, sorry, Alyssa. Didn’t mean to ruin his image.”

They laughed together.

I stared at the salmon. Suddenly, it looked disgusting. I pushed the plate away. “Not my thing. You guys finish it.”

They went quiet. “Are you upset?” Ralph asked carefully.

I shook my head. “Nah. Just a bit too strong for me.”

Just like you two. Sickening.

After dinner, Ralph walked a drunk, clinging Olivia home. I closed the door behind them, then called a Lyft to the airport. Ralph was still blowing up my phone, texting about the next registration attempt.

Ralph: Don’t worry. This time it’ll happen. Nothing will stop us.

Me: Okay.

But I already knew. It would be just like the others. Right before I boarded, another message came through:

Ralph: Olivia’s heater is broken. Not coming home tonight. Take care.

I laughed. A cold, quiet laugh. I saw it coming a mile away.

Me: No problem. Stay at her place. I’ve moved out. We’re done. Goodbye forever, Ralph.

I blocked his number and deleted our entire chat history. On the plane, I watched the lights of Seattle fade into the distance.

Back there, Ralph was probably still staring at his screen, stunned.