When I Became the One Who Left

Elise’s POV

My mom’s last wish had changed. It wasn’t just about having one last family dinner anymore.

She wanted me to find happiness.

Her frail voice echoed in my mind, each word heavier than the last. My throat constricted, and my eyes blurred with tears that wouldn’t stop coming.

When I finally spoke, my voice trembled and cracked with emotion. “Hayes, you can’t give me the happiness I want anymore, can you?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he let out a slow, deep sigh.

“Elise… we’re in our late twenties now. It’s time we grew up. Whether we love each other or not… it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

There it was.

He didn’t need to say it directly.

I knew exactly what he meant.

He didn’t love me anymore.

I let out a soft, bitter laugh, one that caught in my throat like a noose. It was a laugh of surrender, something breaking deep inside me that I couldn’t hold together anymore.

“Fine, then,” I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips. “I’ll let you go… and I’ll let myself go too.”

The moment I said it, my chest tightened, and my heart clenched so painfully I thought I might collapse from the weight of it because I’d heard it before. Five years ago.

Back then, we had nothing—not even a decent roof over our heads. Our tiny, rundown apartment was barely more than four walls, but we made it ours.

The only ring he could afford was a simple silver band.

But when he proposed, his eyes held a fire that made me believe everything he said.

“Elise, I promise you—wherever I am, that’ll always be your home. I’ll give you the life you deserve. You’ll never have to suffer again. From now on, it’s just happiness. Just us.”

I believed him. I didn’t hesitate. I said yes.

He was ecstatic, like a kid who’d just won the world. He lifted me up, and spun me around, laughing like we were the only two people on earth.

“From this moment on, you’re my wife. In this life and the next, we’ll never be apart. Don’t even think about making me let go of your hand.”

But now?

Now, he had forgotten every single word of that promise.

And he didn’t even bother fighting me on it.

Instead, he just said, “Fine. But don’t worry, Elise. No one can replace you. No matter what, my wife's position will always be yours.”

Once upon a time, I used to feel proud when people called me Mrs. Westbrook. It made me feel secure, loved, and like I belonged somewhere.

Now?

Now, it felt like a cruel joke.

Ever since Hayes started making headlines with one woman after another, the whispers around me never stopped.

Some people pitied me.

Others… they mocked me.

“Mr. Westbrook’s going through women like a revolving door. Do you really think you’ll still be his wife for much longer? If I were you, I’d get pregnant while I still had the chance—might help you cash in when he finally divorces you.”

“Five years, and she hasn’t had a baby yet? Maybe she can’t have kids. No wonder she can’t keep him.”

What they didn’t know—what no one knew—was that I had been pregnant.

In our first year of marriage, I carried our child.

But then, there was that night.

Hayes had been entertaining a group of potential clients. Someone had deliberately gotten him drunk, humiliating him in front of them while he smiled through the pain, just to close the deal.

I had just come from a work event when I saw him—his face flushed, his posture stiff, his fists clenched under the table.

My heart broke for him. I wanted to take him away from that place, away from those people who saw him as nothing more than a tool to get what they wanted.

But then, they turned their attention to me.

“If Mrs. Westbrook drinks with us, we’ll sign the contract right now. Hell, we’ll even send you two home.”

I knew how much that deal meant to him. I knew how hard he’d worked for it.

So, I swallowed my pride.

I picked up the glass.

And I drank.

That night, Hayes closed the deal he’d worked so hard for.

And I lost our child.

After that, no matter how careful we tried to be, pregnancy never happened again.

Maybe it was punishment.

Maybe the universe decided I wasn’t meant to be a mother. Maybe it was for not protecting my baby when I had the chance.

As Hayes’s voice faded into the silence of the room, the tears I’d been holding back finally broke free. Warm, heavy tears spilled down my cheeks, landing on my hand.

For the first time in a long time, I let myself cry.