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It was his birthday, a milestone year, and the restaurant buzzed with laughter, clinking glasses, and the low hum of conversation. Our closest friends, family – everyone who mattered was there. He sat across from me, a handsome smile on his face, his arm occasionally brushing mine under the table. My life, my love, my everything. We had built something beautiful, or so I thought. A home, a future, a quiet understanding that didn’t need words. I looked at him, feeling that familiar warmth spread through me, that deep, settled contentment that comes from knowing you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
“Honestly,” he slurred, a little more wine in him than usual, “it’s easy for some people to joke about slowing down.” His gaze drilled into me. “When you’re living off me, eating for free, you don’t really have to worry about a thing, do you?”
Close-up shot of dollar bills | Source: Pexels