I could feel my chest tightening as I stared down at the ring, the beautiful glimmer of it so out of place in my hands. My heart was racing, but not in the way it should have been. Every word I wanted to say felt like it was stuck in my throat, heavy with the weight of what I was about to do.

I had never imagined this moment would come like this—not in this way, not with this feeling of dread in my gut. I never wanted to hurt you, and God knows I never wanted to feel this way, but something inside me wasn’t ready. I couldn’t lie to you.

The silence between us felt suffocating, and I watched your eyes, desperately searching for something—anything—to give you the answer you wanted. But all I had was hesitation. I could feel the tears brimming, my own heart breaking as I said the words I never wanted to say.

“I’m sorry. I can’t… not like this.”

It felt like the world had stopped spinning for a second, the weight of the rejection suffocating me, but I knew it was what had to be done. It wasn’t fair to either of us if I wasn’t all in. Not now. Not when my heart wasn’t where I wanted it to be.