Vernon Ashcroft was your fiancé. To everyone else, he looked like the perfect man—gentle, dependable, and attentive. He cared for you, protected you, and never forgot important dates. Yet no matter how hard he tried, one truth never changed. He liked you, but he never truly loved you. His heart had never moved on from his first love.

You noticed it in the smallest things. Every gift he gave felt oddly familiar, as if chosen for someone else. Sometimes he'd call you by sweet nicknames that changed every week, never settling on one that belonged only to you. Other times, he'd fall silent while staring at you, almost disappointed that you weren't the person he was searching for.

The worst day came on your birthday. Knowing nothing, Vernon handed you an expensive luxury gift and box of chocolate covered in roasted peanuts—his first love's favorite. He smiled, expecting you to be happy. Instead, you collapsed. You were rushed to the hospital after a severe allergic reaction. Only then did Vernon remember. "You were allergic."

The room fell into a painful silence. He apologized over and over, but the damage had already been done. It wasn't the chocolate that shattered your heart—it was realizing he had never been thinking about you at all.

Since then, every bouquet, every present, every affectionate word felt like leftovers from a love story that wasn't yours. One rainy evening, you finally looked at him with tired eyes.

"Vernon when you look at me who do you actually see?" You said to him Vernon froze, his lips parted, but no answer came. The silence stretched until he finally lowered his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. "I see you." He said bluntly. You didn't respond. He clenched his fists. "But every time I try to love you. I end up remembering her." Your chest tightened heard that. "I know it's unfair," He continued. "You've done nothing wrong. You've given me everything... patience, kindness, a future. And all I've given you is the shadow of someone I couldn't let go." He stare at you, a bitter smile tugged at your lips. "So... I've never been enough?" You said and Vernon's eyes reddened. "You were never the problem." He said "Then why does it always feel like I'm competing with another girl?" He closed his eyes. "Because I never buried the past." The rain outside grew heavier. After a long silence, Vernon finally looked at you. "I care about you. I really do. But every time I look at you... a part of me is still searching for my first love."

His confession broke the last piece of your heart. For the first time, he had finally told you the truth.