The Missed Dinner

Today marks the sixth time my boyfriend, Kian Vance, stood up my parents.

My parents and I waited at the bistro for four solid hours. During that time, I called him dozens of times, but it went straight to voicemail.

Just as I was about to try one last time, Kian's childhood best friend, Felicia Frost, posted a location tag at a boutique hotel on the outskirts of town.

"From eighteen to eighty, we're in this together," her caption read.

The photo showed the broad back of a man. On his bare shoulder, there was a script tattoo in English.

A mutual friend commented, "First love goals! I'm shipping this cp so hard."

I silently gave the post a like. Then, I added a comment of my own.

"Make sure you're buried in the same grave when you kick the bucket. Don't come back to haunt decent people in your next life."

1.

The food had just been served when Kian finally called. I declined it without a second thought.

A second later, a text message popped up on my screen.

"Don't start with the jealous drama, okay? We grew up together. What's wrong with staying close until we're eighty? People with dirty minds like yours see everything as a scandal!"

"Besides, Felicia had an emergency out here, and I came to help her. It started pouring rain, and she's not in good health. I only booked a room so she wouldn't get sick in the storm."

More messages flooded in, one after another, all making similar excuses. The only thing he didn't mention was the dinner he promised to have with my parents.

I stopped reading. My heart ached, mostly for my mom and dad.

I looked up at them, feeling a wave of guilt. They weren't young anymore, yet they had flown across the country just to meet the man I was dating.

And Kian hadn't shown up once. Not a single time out of six tries.

My parents were clearly reaching their limit. They had been patient only because they knew how much I loved him.

"Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I made you come all this way for nothing again."

My mother looked at me with pity. My father remained calm, his voice level.

"We won't comment on your relationship, Zoey. That's your choice to make. We just came here to see you."

My eyes stung with tears. In the five years I had been with Kian, he had never once traveled to visit my hometown with me.

He was a high-profile corporate lawyer. He always complained that his time was worth thousands of dollars an hour.

Yet, one phone call from Felicia was all it took for him to drop everything. He would drive across the state for her or take a week off to go on vacation with her.

The difference between love and neglect was glaring. I had just been lying to myself for five years.

Sometimes, letting go only takes a single moment of clarity.

I dropped my parents off at their hotel and didn't get back to our apartment until eleven.

Kian was sitting on the sofa, his face dark with anger. As soon as I walked in, he started his interrogation.

"Where the hell have you been until this late? You didn't pick up my calls or answer my texts!"

I listened to him try to flip the script on me. I cut him off mid-sentence.

"Do you even remember what you were supposed to do today?"

"What was I supposed to do? I was working! Or are you going to..."

Kian stopped abruptly. The realization finally hit him.

"I'm sorry. Did your parents already leave? Tomorrow. I promise I won't forget tomorrow!"

"Don't bother," I said quietly.

I walked straight past him into the bedroom. After a quick shower, I crawled under the covers and turned off the light.

A few minutes later, Kian came in. He had showered too and was wearing his robe. He slid into bed next to me like nothing had changed.

"Are you still mad at me?"

I kept my back to him, silent. Kian wrapped his arm around my waist, his breath warm against my ear.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I messed up this time."

"Felicia got into a minor car accident and called me. I was so worried about her that it slipped my mind."

When I didn't respond, he grabbed my shoulder and forced me to turn around.

Under the faint moonlight, I saw the tattoo on his shoulder. It triggered the memory of Felicia's post, and a wave of nausea hit me.

"What? Did Felicia not satisfy you enough tonight?"

Kian bolted upright, his face twisting with rage.

"Zoey Quinn! Are you ever going to drop this? I explained everything! I even apologized, so what else do you want?"

"I was even planning to take the day off tomorrow to spend time with your parents!"

I looked at his patronizing expression and felt nothing but coldness.

"Kian, don't force yourself. Let's just break up."

I grabbed my pillow and left the room to sleep in the guest suite.

Kian stood there stunned for a few seconds. Then, he slammed the bedroom door so hard the walls shook.

The next morning, I was about to call my boss to request a day off when a text came from my mom.

"Your dad and I decided to head back early. Work hard and come visit us when you can."

I froze, then immediately dialed her number.

"Mom? Why are you leaving so soon?"

"Your father is itching to get back to his fishing spot with his buddies," she said gently.

"Anyway, we're about to board. Talk soon."

The line went dead. My heart felt heavy with shame.

I worked only a short flight away from my hometown. Yet, for years, I had revolved my entire life around Kian, rarely making time for them.

A sudden thought flashed through my mind. I got dressed and drove straight to the office.

"Manager Lin, I want that transfer to the Chicago branch."

My boss looked surprised by my sudden initiative.

"What brought this on? I've been asking you to go for months and you kept refusing. If you go, the project manager position is yours."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "I finally realized that making money is more important than anything else."

Manager Lin smiled and handed me the paperwork. As I walked out of his office, my phone rang. It was Kian, and he sounded livid.

"Zoey, why didn't you wake me up? And where's my breakfast? I have a major client meeting today!"

I listened to his entitled shouting and let out a dry laugh.

"Kian, I'm not your maid. I don't owe you anything."

"Zoey, you're getting a little too confident..."

I hung up before he could finish.

For five years, I had treated him like royalty. I did all the cooking, the cleaning, even picked out his clothes for him every morning.

He had taken my devotion for granted. He thought it was a law of nature, and now that I had stopped, he saw it as a crime.

I was so glad I woke up from this nightmare.

Once I decided to let go, my productivity skyrocketed. I finished a full day's work by mid-afternoon.

As I stepped out of the office, it started to rain. My phone buzzed again. It was Kian.

"You're off work, right? I didn't drive today. Get the car and come pick up Felicia and me."

He spoke like he was ordering an Uber. He even had the nerve to bring Felicia along.

Did he really think I was that pathetic? That I would drive home in the rain just to come back out and play chauffeur for him and his mistress?

"I'm busy."

I hung up and hailed my own cab. Once home, I ordered a large bowl of spicy noodles.

I loved spicy street food, but Kian always said it was "trashy" and "beneath his status."

He refused to eat it and forbade me from having it in the house.

Yet, I had seen a photo on Felicia's private feed of him in his expensive suit, sitting at a plastic table on the sidewalk, happily eating those exact same noodles with her.

His likes and dislikes weren't about the food. They were about the person he was with. And I wasn't the one who mattered.

I was halfway through my noodles and a beer when Kian walked in with Felicia.

They were both soaking wet and miserable. They looked at me, sitting there comfortably in my pajamas, and Kian lost it.

"Zoey! Is this what you meant by being busy?"

"Just because I missed one dinner with your parents? They'll be around forever! Is it really worth being this petty? You..."

2.

I didn't want to argue, but his words were getting nastier by the second.

Anger flared in my chest. I stood up and smashed my beer bottle against the floor.

"Enough, Kian! Don't push your luck!"

A shard of glass grazed Felicia, who was standing nearby. Kian's eyes went wide with fury, and he lunged forward, shoving me hard.

I hit the floor with a thud.

"OwD"

Pain seared through my hand. Blood began to pool in my palm, mixed with tiny glass splinters.

Seeing the blood, Kian panicked slightly and stepped closer to check the wound.

The moment he leaned in, I smelled it. A heavy, floral scent.

It was the perfume Felicia always wore. I could almost see them huddled together in the rain, his hands all over her.

I shoved him away with a look of pure disgust. My eyes caught a dark red mark on his neck.

Kian noticed my gaze and instinctively pulled up his collar.

"The office has been full of mosquitoes lately. You know I have sensitive skin."

Felicia smirked at me, her eyes filled with triumph. "It's true. Kian's skin is incredibly delicate."

In this relationship, Felicia got the love. All I got were the lies.

"Fine, let's not dwell on small things. I'll take you to the ER."

He looked at my hand with fake concern, but his movements were rough.

He grabbed my injured arm and tried to haul me up from the floor. He was trying so hard to play the part of the caring boyfriend now.

I yanked my arm back. "Forget it. If you keep pulling like that, I'll bleed out before we even get there."

Kian realized he was hurting me, but he still acted like the victim.

"Can't you speak like a normal person? Do you have to be so damn sarcastic?"

I ignored him and went to put on my shoes. I was going to the hospital alone.

But Kian wouldn't let it go. He insisted on driving me. When we reached the car, Felicia hopped into the front seat before I could even move.

"I get motion sick in the back, Zoey. You don't mind, right?" she asked with a plastic smile.

I didn't give her the satisfaction of a response. I just climbed into the back seat.

As we drove, I looked around the interior. There were so many new things that didn't belong.

A cute photo of them stuck to the dashboard. Her designer bag on the floor. Her coat tossed over the headrest.

When we first started dating, I left a small plushie on the dash. Kian threw it in the trash the very next day.

He told me he was a neat freak and hated having "clutter" in his car.

Apparently, his neatness, like his principles, was reserved only for me.

By the time the doctor finished stitching me up, it was two in the morning.

I looked around the waiting room, but Kian was nowhere to be found.

I didn't call him. I just walked to the hospital entrance to call a ride.

But it was late and pouring rain. I waited for an hour, and every driver canceled on me.

Frustrated and exhausted, I finally called Kian.

Felicia answered. She gave a soft "hello," then I heard the phone being snatched away.

"I'm going to go jump in the shower. Hurry up," Felicia whispered in the background.

Kian's voice came through, sounding like he had moved to another room. "What is it?"

"I'm at the hospital entrance. I can't get a ride. Can you come get me?"

There was a pause. He seemed to have forgotten he even brought me there.

"Wait there. I'll be there in five minutes."

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Then twenty. He never showed.

I laughed at my own stupidity. I should have known better than to trust him.

Finally, as if the universe finally took pity on me, a car accepted my request.

I got home and barely sat down before Kian walked through the front door.

He immediately started barking at me. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I'm starving. Make me something to eat."

"And make a pot of seafood chowder. Felicia wants some. I'm going to drop it off at her place in a bit."

"Hey! Are you deaf?"

I hadn't slept, I was damp from the rain, and my hand was throbbing. My patience snapped.

"Are you insane? We're broken up. Who do you think you're talking to?"

Kian looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "What did you say? You're breaking up with me?"

"I told you yesterday. Are your ears painted on?"

Kian started laughing. He laughed so hard he actually had tears in his eyes.

"Zoey, are you serious? You're dumping me?"

"How long is it going to last this time? A few hours? I hope you can at least make it twenty-four hours before you come crawling back and begging for my forgiveness."

I stared at him calmly. I couldn't even blame him for acting this way.

In the past, I had tried to break up with him because of Felicia several times. But I was always the one who broke down and begged him to take me back within hours.

Kian ignored me and went into the bedroom, slamming the door.

I pulled out my phone and searched for short-term rentals near my office.

Manager Lin told me the transfer would be finalized tomorrow, but it would take a month to move to Chicago.

I needed a place to stay for that month. I couldn't stay in this house another day.

I looked around the apartment. I had turned this place into a home. I had bought almost everything in it.

But looking at it now, I realized I didn't want any of it. I just wanted my personal belongings.

I messaged a realtor to see a place that afternoon and went to sleep in the guest room.

3.

When I woke up, Kian was staring at me with a bizarre expression.

I didn't ask what his problem was. I just checked the time and went to the bathroom to get ready.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crash. He had smashed a mug on the floor.

I looked at the shards and felt a strange sense of relief.

That mug was the first thing I ever made in a pottery class. I had been so proud of it.

When I gave it to him, he laughed at how ugly it was. He said it was a one-of-a-kind disaster.

I told him back then, "Just like my love for you. One of a kind."

Now that it was broken, it felt like the final seal on our relationship.

I didn't bother cleaning it up. I just walked out the door. Kian sat there, watching my back as if he couldn't believe I was actually leaving.

By the afternoon, I had signed a lease for a small, furnished studio. It was only a five-minute walk from my office.

The old apartment was chosen because it was close to Kian's firm. My commute had been a nightmare every single day.

I had sacrificed everything for his convenience. Never again.

I paid the deposit and decided to move in that very night. I could practically taste the freedom.

When I went back to the apartment to get my suitcase, Kian wasn't there.

I packed my life into one large bag and left without looking back.

Setting up my new studio took a few hours, but I felt more at peace than I had in years.

Then, Kian called.

I knew why. He probably wanted his hangover tea and a hot bath ready.

"Zoey? Did you move out?" His voice sounded shocked.

I wondered why he was home so early. Did Felicia kick him out?

"Yeah. We're done. It's better this way."

"I didn't agree to a breakup! Move back right now. Where are you? I'm coming to get you."

"Don't bother, Kian. I'm serious this time," I said firmly.

"Fine! Go ahead! Just don't come crying to me when you realize how much you messed up!" He screamed and hung up.

Regret? The only thing I regretted was not doing this sooner.

Now, I could eat whatever I wanted and watch whatever I wanted. I didn't have to live my life according to someone else's schedule.

I spent my extra time enrolling in online courses to sharpen my skills. I had fallen behind because I was too busy being a housewife for a man who didn't love me.

The first week was bliss. I thought it was over until Kian's friend called me.

"Kian's wasted. He's making a scene and demanding you come pick him up."

I paused. "I think you have the wrong number."

"You should call Felicia. If you don't have her number, I can text it to you."

The friend was silent for a long time. "Zoey, come on. You guys have been together forever. Don't be so petty."

"If you don't come, you're going to regret..."

I yawned. "Is there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."

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