The cool night air greeted Eric as he stepped out of Lisa’s house, the sounds of laughter and music fading behind him. His heart pounded in his chest, but his face remained emotionless. He didn’t want to show it. Not now. Not after seeing her like that, on Oliver’s lap. The image of Lisa, smiling and laughing with him, played on repeat in his mind, but Eric forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat.He glanced down at the small gift still clutched in his hand. It was wrapped in simple brown paper, a delicate necklace inside a gift he had saved for, worked for, dreamed of giving to her. And now, it felt meaningless. But despite the hurt, something inside him refused to give up completely. Maybe she didn’t mean it. Maybe she had been drunk or caught up in the party. Maybe… maybe he still mattered to her.“I need to give her time,” Eric said. With a resigned sigh, Eric turned and walked down the road, the sound of his footsteps lost in the stillness of the evening. He didn’t go

The bar was loud, the thumping bass of the music vibrating through Eric’s chest as he walked inside. It was packed, filled with people dancing, laughing, and shouting over the music. For a moment, he felt out of place, a bitter reminder of how far removed he was from this world, the world that Lisa now seemed to belong to.Eric’s eyes scanned the crowd, his jaw clenched tight as he searched for Oliver. The anger that had been bubbling inside him ever since Lisa’s manipulative words was now boiling over. He didn’t care about the stares from strangers or the fact that he didn’t belong here. He only cared about confronting Oliver and getting answers.Finally, in the back corner, Eric saw him. Oliver was seated at a large booth, surrounded by a group of people, boys and girls alike, laughing and drinking as if they didn’t have a care in the world. A few girls were dancing around the table, and Oliver, with a cocky smirk plastered on his face, sat back like he owned the place.For a moment

Eric’s sigh was heavy, full of frustration, as he felt the weight of his situation press down on him. He was surrounded by the pristine gardens he’d maintained for so long, but for the first time, he felt like a stranger in them. The insults, the betrayal, and now the smug mockery of Oliver had piled up, turning his anger inward. “Lisa why? Maybe I am overthinking it,” Eric said within himself. How had he let himself end up here? He had put everything he had into making Lisa happy, into proving himself worthy, and now he was left with nothing, nothing but the sting of humiliation and a bruised ego.Eric sighed “it all will be good, I believe that, it is all matter of time,” The hours dragged on, and Eric poured his energy into the meticulous task of trimming hedges and watering the plants.“I need to finish this hedges before Mrs. Rodriguez visits the again, I don’t want insult or added stress,” Eric snapped going back to work after remembering Mrs. Rodriguez attitude. The repeti