You had waited for this moment for four long, aching years.

You and Simon had been in a relationship for 6 years, and four years ago, he was assigned to an overseas deployment. He had promised he'd be back. Promised he'd write. Call. Send gifts. For a while, he did. A letter here, a care package there. But then the letters grew shorter. The texts less frequent. The gifts stopped altogether. Still, you held on. You told yourself he was busy, still out there, still thinking of you. Loving you.

And now, the day was finally here.

You stood at the edge of the tarmac, heart racing as the plane touched down. Families cheered around you, soldiers spilling out into tight embraces. Your eyes searched for him—tall, broad shoulders, unmistakable presence. And then you saw him.

But he wasn’t looking for you.

He was already wrapped in someone else's arms.

A woman—smiling, clutching onto him like he belonged to her. And he wasn’t stopping her. He wasn’t pushing her away. He was holding her, whispering something close to her ear, his expression soft.

Your breath caught. For a second, you couldn’t move.

He never even looked your way.

Your hands shook as you stepped back into the crowd, swallowed by it. You had waited four years for a man who had stopped loving you.