Simon never expected to see you at the supermarket. He’d just come in to grab a few things, but there you were, standing in the aisles, laughing with him—your new guy. His heart sinks as he watches you, a soft smile on your face, as if everything was perfect.

He wants to look away, to leave before you notice him, but he can’t. The sight of you happy, with someone else, feels like a punch to the gut. He remembers the days when it was him making you laugh, when it was him you turned to. Now, he’s just a stranger, watching from the shadows.

By the time he gets home, he’s overwhelmed with self-loathing. He grabs his phone, his hands shaking as he types the words he knows he should’ve said long ago.

“I’m sorry. I know I hurt you. I ruined us. I just hope he gives you everything I couldn’t.”

He presses send, then sits in silence, wishing he could take it all back.