Chapter 1: Dumped on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day. That’s when it happened—my girlfriend dumped me, right out of the blue. My heart barely had time to brace for the impact.

Why? She said her family was breathing down her neck, convinced she was getting too old, insisting it was time to settle down. That pressure was eating at her, or so she claimed.

I blurted out, "Then let’s just get married. Why do we have to break up over this?"

She just rolled her eyes, voice sharp with a kind of tired scorn. I could feel her disdain before she even spoke. "Marry you? Are you kidding me? What do you even bring to the table? You’re not even from the right crowd."

I stared at her, blindsided. "But we’ve been together five years…" My voice trailed off, hope hanging by a thread, waiting for any sign she might reconsider.

For five years, I really believed Elise wouldn’t suddenly start lining up blind dates at church socials or speed-dating events. I even thought, if her family wanted, maybe I’d move in with her parents—anything to keep us together, to stay with Elise for good.

But all my honesty earned me was another eye roll and a laugh that cut deep. She hooked her bra, turned to look at me—her gaze almost soft, but not quite. "Five years? So what? Didn’t I make myself clear? Mason, you’re not part of our world. Doesn’t matter if you bought a house, a car, got yourself a steady job—none of that changes who you are."

She stopped, giving me a look that made my chest ache. "It’s not that I hate people who aren’t from my world. But you just don’t fit. My parents want me to settle down with someone who shares our background—someone with the right family, the right connections. I could never marry someone who doesn’t belong."

She finished getting dressed, then leaned in and brushed her fingers across my cheek—gentle, but with a finality that hit me hard. "Mason, let’s keep this simple. We can still be friends. We work together, no reason to make things weird. Don’t make this harder than it has to be."

And just like that, she was gone. The bed still warm where she’d been, but the room felt like an icebox. I sat there, stunned, staring at the ceiling, feeling like the world had emptied out.

I didn’t sleep at all that night. Every time I shut my eyes, her words looped in my head—like some terrible song on repeat, refusing to let me go. I just kept thinking: why wasn’t I enough?

Next morning, I dragged myself into the office, looking like hell. Jamie Torres, the intern I was supposed to be mentoring, spotted me right away. "Hey, Mason—you okay?"

I wasn’t about to spill my guts at work. So I shrugged and said, "My folks keep nagging me to settle down. Didn’t sleep a wink."

That’s when Elise breezed by, clutching her Yeti mug. She shot me a sideways glance—eyebrow arched, lips twitching, catching every word.

Jamie straightened up and greeted her. "Morning, Ms. Wells!"

Elise didn’t even acknowledge Jamie. She just made a beeline for me, dropped her voice, and smirked. "So your family’s on your case about marriage? That’s what’s keeping you up at night?"

Still raw from everything, I set my jaw. "Yeah. So to finally get some sleep, I’m giving in and going on a date."

I locked eyes with her, hoping she’d react—get jealous, try to talk me out of it, or even just look a little sad. Anything.

But all she did was pat my shoulder, wish me luck, and tell me she hoped I found someone soon.

That was it. Something in me snapped.

After she left, I headed straight for the elevator, down to the loading dock. The February air outside was gray and sharp. I pulled out a cigarette—my first in years. I’d quit for her, because she hated the smell. Now, thanks to her, I was lighting up again.

Standing there, I felt like a punchline—like the joke was on me and everyone else was in on it. My hands shook as I smoked, the cold stinging my fingers. It took three cigarettes before I could pull myself together enough to go back upstairs.

Lunch break came, and I trudged out to grab a sandwich. When I came back, there was Elise, twirling the tie of some new sales guy, whispering something in his ear that turned his face beet red.

I couldn’t help it—memories of us started flooding in.

Back then, I was the only guy in the office, and Elise was the boss. She’d just started the company, scraping by on hope and caffeine. I was fresh out of college, couldn’t find a job I liked. When we met, it wasn’t some big spark. We just… fit. Two people searching for something steady in a world that kept shifting.

The company was always on the brink. I ran errands, fixed printers, made cold calls. Elise hustled for investors and contracts. Romance? Not even on the radar. But feelings have a way of sneaking up on you. We grew close, bit by bit. People always say love just happens when you’re not looking.

We worked nonstop—no time to cross any lines. The five-year age gap made me think it would never be more than boss and employee.

Until that night. I was heading home when Elise called. Her voice was slurred, the background sounded wild. I caught fragments: "Help me… Blue Lantern… some creep drugged me."

I didn’t think twice. Elise had just met a potential investor at the Blue Lantern Bar. I raced over and found this heavyset investor all over her. Elise was barely conscious, mumbling about feeling hot, clinging to me like I was the only solid thing in the room.

My heart was pounding—having the woman I loved pressed up against me, yeah, it was a lot. But I kept my cool, got her to the ER. I didn’t know what she’d been slipped, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

By the time the nurses finished up, it was past 2 a.m. Elise finally woke, saw me sitting by her bed, and maybe remembered what happened. For the first time, she blushed. "Thank you, Mason."

I tried to play it off, but something changed that night.

After that, Elise started getting bolder—touching my face at work, showing off her legs, leaning in close to whisper things that made my ears burn. She was always pushing, seeing how far she could go. I went from blushing, to flirting back, to finally being the one to cross the line.

That Valentine’s Day, we became official. I remember the way she smiled, how my heart felt like it might explode. For once, the world seemed right.

As the company grew, Elise worried our relationship might make things weird for the staff or scare off investors. So we kept it under wraps for five years. If she hadn’t ended things last night, I was going to propose on her thirtieth birthday. I had it all planned.

I’d measured her ring finger while she slept, ordered champagne roses from overseas, even told my parents I’d stream the proposal live for the whole family group chat.

But now, all of that was dust. Gone, just because I wasn’t from the right world. Like I hadn’t felt like an outsider every single day we were together. But now, that was her excuse. And I could see her starting the same pattern with someone new, right in front of me.