I already knew that having your heart broken was painful. I had no idea that the pain could be amplified by the man who caused the pain going out of his way to make sure you’re okay.

Chin wobbling, I blink back the tears filling my eyes as I read the text Eli sent again.

Eli: I don’t want you to have to stay with Miranda, so tonight, I’m going to pack up most of my stuff, and tomorrow, I’ll move out and stay with Ben. I’ll give you the apartment and pay half the rent until we figure things out.

Having dated men who cheated, men who lied, and men who were just plain assholes, I can’t help but wonder if I’m expecting too much from Eli. Is getting married and having kids really that important?

Deep down, I know the answer, but accepting the truth of it is difficult right now.

Typing back a quick thank-you, I let the phone drop to my chest and look up at the ceiling.

Yesterday morning, after a night of absolutely no sleep, Eli and I talked for a few minutes before he had to leave for work. That conversation was not a great one. He basically told me that he would marry me if it meant that much to me, but he absolutely did not want kids and wasn’t going to change his mind on the subject. He wasn’t callous about it, but it still cut deep that he thought offering up marriage like a consolation prize was enough. Especially when he told me the night prior that he didn’t even really want that. So, I told him I was going to move out, because I knew living with him and trying to figure out what I wanted wouldn’t work.

Needless to say, when he left, I was a mess, which led to me ignoring the calls coming in from Miranda, who I knew was worried, because I was late for work—when I’m never late. But I needed time to attempt to pull myself together. And I thought that I did a good job of hiding my lack of sleep and red-rimmed eyes with makeup. But as soon as I walked into the salon, Miranda took one look at me and dragged me bodily into our boss’s office.

Even though I had no desire to talk about the previous evening, it didn’t take much prying from her for me to break down and tell her what happened. As my best friend, she was baffled by Eli’s change of heart and angry on my behalf. But more than anything, she was concerned about me.