This must be how it felt to lose all hope.

I held the phone, unable to speak for a while.

I wanted to ask him something, but what was the point? I already knew where he was. It was clear.

I had told him—there wouldn't be a next time. So, this was his choice, wasn't it?

Adults understand the art of compromise, of weighing pros and cons.

I was the one he had weighed and found wanting; the one he had chosen to abandon.

I instinctively placed a hand on my ...