The Kiss That Broke Them

I stood outside my bridal suite, watching through the floor-to-ceiling window as Shawn Jepson and Casey Thomas locked tongues. Shawn held Casey tightly in his arms, his lips pressing and eager, unlike the callous man he usually was. I was soaked to the bone, my clothes, shoes, and hair completely drenched from the snow.My blood ran cold, and I felt sick to my stomach. As the pair rolled onto the bed for my wedding night, I whipped out my phone and caught them on tape. A wave of disgust washed over me, and I retched.In the many years I had been with Shawn, he had never kissed me during our most intimate moments. He said he had germophobia, and I bought into it.The truth was that his lips were reserved for the love of his life. Picking up on the noise, the pair in the bedroom looked over. They were the ones having a rendezvous. Yet, I took cover without a second thought. I shuddered from the cold and prayed that Casey would leave soon. I waited an hour, but she didn’t

Shawn had let me down for the last time. I thought he would have some feelings for me after fifteen years of friendship and ten years of romance. Yet, he couldn't care less about me. My mind was made up. I would not be calling the wedding off. I was going to bolt on him during our wedding. Shawn never considered my feelings when planning a runout on me. Well, he was not my concern anymore. He could be the fool at our wedding. Fighting back the tears, I dialed the emergency number. While being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, I slipped into unconsciousness from a high fever and seizure. When I regained consciousness, the nurse told me, “It’s a good thing you called the emergency line when you did because it could’ve been fatal for the condition you were in, especially since you were home alone.” Shawn then called me. “I’m busy at work, so I don’t have time to get back to you. Just grab something at the pharmacy.” He hung up without a word of concern. I had s

Andrew was a real people person. “Don’t stress, Jess. Dad is messing with you. Just think of me as your personal tour guide for the next month.” He was a sports major, a sun-kissed hunk. It was easy to get along with an easy-going guy like him. Andrew planned to take me abroad, but I was keen to travel across the country. Growing up, we weren’t exactly rolling in dough. Travel was not an option for me when I started working, either. I was too caught up with my career and life with Shawn. Even when I did travel, they were solely for business. I wanted to visit museums, watch the night sky, and visit the valleys. Shawn had promised me time and time again to take me across the nation. Instead, he took Casey miles away to see the Northern Lights. No more were the days I had to walk on eggshells just to ask Shawn for his time. Andrew bought plane tickets right away and took me to another city. As soon as we landed, he gathered a bunch of his friends. His friends were a

I shied away from Shawn and said, annoyed, “It’s over between us.”“We have been together for ten years, and now you’re telling me that you’re giving up on us? You’re just sulking. I’ll prove to you that I’ll end things with Casey.” Shawn took off, either running away from the fact that I didn’t love him anymore or confident that he’d win me back. The moment he left, my client, Chester, showed up with a bouquet of red roses. “Surprise, Jess! I’m here on behalf of my company to discuss a potential partnership. Are you happy about that? Here are some flowers to brighten up your day!” He was a mixed-race hunk, hailing from a wealthy family. We met by chance a month ago, and he’d been pursuing me since, calling me his soulmate. I took the bouquet. “Thank you. Since you’re here, are you cutting me a better deal?” “If you’d be my girlfriend.” “Then I should get the goods for free.” “Haha. Just kidding, Jess. Seriously, though. If that’s what you want, I can give the shipme

I watched emotionlessly as Shawn had a meltdown. “Save me the talk. I left you because I don’t love you anymore.” Shawn pulled me back from leaving. His red-rimmed eyes reflected sadness and anger. “Don’t make yourself out to be the victim. Are you sure you are not at all to blame for the way things ended between us despite our 10-year relationship?” To be frank, I was not the type to explain myself to others. However, I knew we would never move on until I gave Shawn closure. “I have reflected on myself, Shawn. “We started to grow apart over the years. I tried my best to keep our love alive, but you became more and more distant. I was devastated when I discovered your affair with Casey and your plan to ditch me. “I wondered if you simply cheated on me because you’ve lost interest in me, like the businessmen often talked about at dinner parties.“Maybe like the word that’s been going around the office, you felt threatened by my growing influence in the business. “Or yo