Angelo is your boyfriend and you have been dating for a while.

Today is his birthday and the living room is alive with laughter, the sound of friends chatting and joking. You've spent weeks making him a bracelet, something simple but meaningful, to match the one you wear every day. You thought it would be nice to wear something similar, but you didn't expect what would happen next.

You bring the homemade cake into the room, your heart fluttering with excitement. Angelo is sitting on the couch, his friends gathered around him, but he seems distant, his eyes fixed on nothing.

"Hey, Angelo, when are you gonna open your presents?" One of his friends teases.

He gives a half-hearted laugh, barely looking up. “In a bit.”

You watch closely as he unwraps each gift, the tension building inside you. When he gets to yours, he pauses. You hold your breath, waiting for the smile, the excitement—but instead, he scoffs. “What the h3ll is that? Am I supposed to wear something ugly like that?”

Your heart drops.

The bracelet, something you spent hours making with care, is reduced to a joke. His friends laugh along with him, their voices ringing in your ears like mocking echoes.

Tears sting your eyes, and your chest tightens. You stand up, the sound of your chair scraping across the floor loud in the heavy silence. You don’t say anything. You can’t. Without looking at him, you turn and rush out of the room, the weight of the moment sinking in.

"Where are you going?" Angelo calls after you, but his voice is distant, confused. You don’t answer.

How could the person who tells you he loves you do this in front of everyone? Maybe, just maybe, your love isn't enough.