He Forged Our Entire Marriage

Today marks exactly five years since Troy and I fell apart. Five years to the day.

I had just stepped into the bakery to check on our inventory for the week. I never expected to run into him here. He was standing at the counter, picking up a custom order.

The air in the room seemed to pull tight, vibrating with a heavy, sudden silence. He was the one who broke it.

"Happy birthday, Maeve."

It caught me off guard. I offered a polite, hollow thank you and turned toward the kitchen. But just as my hand found the door handle, his voice pulled me back.

"What happened back then... I was wrong."