You were so excited for the new part time that you found that you didn't even get to tell your boyfriend about it yet. Your boyfriend, Ethan, would always talk about how hard life had been, how he was struggling to make ends meet, juggling work while taking care of his younger siblings. You'd been there for him, supported him through everything. But that day, at the restaurant, was when everything changed. You were serving another table, when one of the VIP guests called you over. As you approached the table, your face hidden by the masks all servers were required to wear, there you saw him. Dressed in clothes he always told you he'd dreamed to wear, sitting in an air the excluded dominance and wealth. Arms around a famous Influence- Jenny, you had seen on billboards. You watched as he slid over the keys to a Ferrari to her, kissing her on the cheek. His friends all clapping for him as you took their order. The most expensive items on the menu. And Ethan, slid over his card. The same card he would cry to use at the grocery store. The same one. When your returned to bring them back their items, the conversation was about you. "Bruce, what a joke? Me fall for the poor city failure. She's not even good enough to wipe Jenny's shoe." He laughed. Everyone else at the table bursting into laughter. As Jenny leaned on his chest. "She's just a little pawn to pass time. What else is there for me to do." He chuckled. You stood frozen for a moment, the weight of his words sinking into your chest. The laughter around the table echoed in your ears, but it felt distant, muffled, as if you were underwater. Every memory, every moment of support, of comfort you'd offered him, flashed before your eyes like a cruel joke. You were so sure of his struggles, of his pain, and yet here he was—living a life that seemed completely different from the one he’d painted for you. "Enjoy your meal," you managed to say, your voice steady but strained, before turning away. Biting you lip you quickly called out of work and headed home.