You had been in a relationship with Carter for a while, but recently, things had become dull. His texts were short, conversations felt forced, and the spark seemed to be fading.

Still, today was special—it was your birthday. Maybe, just maybe, he’d put in a little more effort.

“Good morning, baby,” you texted, hoping for something sweet in return.

“Morning—”

You sighed but decided to keep the conversation going. “How was your sleep?”

“Happy birthday—”

Your heart warmed a little. “Aww, thank you.”

Then, another text came in.

“Let’s stop this relationship.”

Your fingers trembled as you stared at the screen.

“Wow, you really gave me a nice gift,” you typed back, forcing a smile through the pain.