The café just outside the hospital was warm, the smell of coffee lingering in the air. Stacy sat across from Matthew in their usual corner booth, nursing a cup of cocoa she hadn’t touched.

  He was rambling about work again-something about a rude client, something about his manager being on his case. She nodded, offered a soft “mm-hmm” at all the right moments.

  But her heart wasn’t in it.

  She was barely there.

  And Matthew noticed.

  “Stace,” he said, his voice softer now. “What’s going on with you lately?”

  She blinked, looking up from her untouched drink. “What do you mean?”

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  “You’ve been… distant. Quiet. And it’s not just school or shifts. You don’t even look at me the same.” The words stung. But only because they were true.

  She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t want to do this here,” she whispered.

  Matthew leaned forward, brow furrowed. “Do what?”

  Stacy’s fingers trembled slightly around her cup. “I’ve been having doubts.”

  He went still. “About what?”

  “Us.”

  The silence that followed was deafening.

  Matthew’s face went blank- shock first, then confusion. “Is there someone else?”

  Stacy shook her head quickly. “No. It’s not about anyone else, Matthew. It’s about me. About how I feel when I’m with you. And… when I’m not.”

  He swallowed hard. “But we’ve been together for years.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “And that’s what makes this so hard. You’ve always been stable, safe. And I thought that was enough. But lately… I don’t know. I feel like I’m living a life that fits on paper, not in my heart.”

  Matthew looked down, his voice hollow. “So I’m just… paper to you?”

  “No.” She reached for his hand gently. “You’re so much more than that. You’re kind, and good, and steady. But something inside me is changing. And I don’t want to lie to you or to myself.”

  He pulled his hand back slowly.

  “So that’s it?” he asked. “You’re leaving me?”

  “I’m not saying goodbye,” she said. “I’m saying I need time. Space to figure out what I really want. I don’t want to hurt you, Matt.”

  He nodded stiffly, standing. “Too late for that.”And just like that, he walked out of the café, leaving her alone with a full cup of cocoa and a heart that hurt in ways she didn’t expect.

  But still…

  A part of her felt lighter.