Three years.
Three years with Nova Rae Blackwell—the only woman I ever wanted to be something better for.
The one girl who made me want to slow down, fix the broken parts, be a man worth holding onto.
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But man, the pressure?
It’s like carrying a weight made of glass.
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Every day, I try to be perfect for her—perfect in the way she deserves.
Not the angry, broken guy she met.
The guy who snaps, who pushes, who’s got all these scars she never asked to see.
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But the harder I try, the more it feels like I’m just digging myself deeper.
Like there’s this voice in my head whispering: You’ll never be enough.
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I started lying to her.
Little lies at first—late nights at work, meetings that never happened.
Then the big ones.
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The first time coke touched my lips, it felt like control. Like a way to silence the noise inside my head—the expectations, the fear, the self-doubt.
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It was a mistake.
A dark, twisting mistake.
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But the harder I fought, the more I fell.
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And the cheating… God, the cheating was worse.
Not because I didn’t love Nova—because I do. More than anything.
But because I was broken, and I didn’t know how to say it.
So I ran.
Ran into someone who didn’t know the weight I carried.
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The nights I came home late, smelling like sin and regret, I watched her from across the room.
Trying to convince myself she’d never see the cracks forming in the man I was supposed to be.
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She deserved better.
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I deserved better.
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But right now?
I’m just a man lost in the chaos of trying to hold it all together.
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And I’m scared that when the truth comes out—when she finally sees what I’ve done—it’ll all be gone.
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The love.
The trust.
The us.
She walked in too quiet.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3zntdlTTZ
Too steady.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QHlup3sGW
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Nova’s never been the silent type—unless she’s loading a bullet behind her eyes.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndGD7FVtMP
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She didn’t sit. Didn’t yell.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMjdrkvbYU
Just stood there in front of me, her jaw locked like she was keeping herself from screaming.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBnXPHWBCb
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She placed her phone on the table between us, screen-down.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXDPv0l7tU
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“You been cheating on me, Saint?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlT9GuJHBz
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I leaned back on the couch, like that could put space between me and what I already knew was coming.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUOkRriJ85
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“What?” I let out a low laugh. “Nova, c’mon. You really believe that?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw40snCottM
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She didn’t blink.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEne0t0p54a
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“Tell me again.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4kfHFM3Cl
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“I’m not cheating. You’re being insecure.” I shrugged. “You overthink everything, and now you’re dragging this sh*t up outta nowhere.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rc7L2zn6u
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She slid the phone across the table and tapped the screen.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6FZWpNb0j
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“Play that.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpBzIVpUMb
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I hesitated.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vOvdXy539
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“Play. It.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6eCgaZX40
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I picked it up. Tapped the audio file.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTacdQdKZ4K
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And there it was—my voice. Clear as day.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSE1MzeyZH
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“She’s wild, but I like it. Keeps things interesting. Like, she’s beautiful, sure—but it’s the chaos that makes it exciting.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdO7OlisKMn
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Then laughter.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA4D9FGBQK
A woman’s voice, smug and flirty.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IDCgEds0E
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“So you stay with her ‘cause she’s crazy?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjONw2mfHq
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And me again.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguvb4DKiW0
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“She needs me. That’s the thing. Girls like her always crash eventually—and I’ll be the one she runs back to.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgtmfrlDOe
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I locked eyes with Nova. My heart hit the floor.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8IUJqjdK6
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“It wasn’t like that,” I started, throat dry.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlixGy2w68Z
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“No?” she asked, voice shaking. “Then what was it like, Saint?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxghskYR62
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“I was just… talking. Trying to get her to leave me alone. You know how people twist things—”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9Z7qa3L4e
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“Those were your exact words. I didn’t twist a damn thing.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdjHCOJznf
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I stood, hands clenched. “You’re overreacting—”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmWiquR4vj
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“No, I’m reacting exactly how I should.” Her voice cut like glass. “You let another woman lie next to you and feed off pieces of me—our relationship. You didn’t just cheat. You degraded me.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOByR5Cefim
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I stepped closer. “Nova, please. You know that’s not what I meant—”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6oJ2Lx2mL
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“But it’s what you said.” Her eyes were glassy, but not from tears—just restrained fire.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwnWv5T0Yu
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“You called me wild. Broken. Chaotic.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhXZBDclhr
She paused. “And you said you liked it. Like I was some kind of pet project that makes you feel alive when your own soul is dead.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XFa0CJzQ7
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I shook my head, heat rising to my ears. “I messed up. I know that. But you don’t get to paint me as a villain for one slip-up—”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK4Sf6Tf5N
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“Slip-up?” she whispered, stepping in close.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXJwqCMdHE
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“You don’t get to tell the world I’m a beautiful disaster and expect me to still hold you like you’re my peace.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIaev4MMBy
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“I love you, Nova.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdW2g8G1fK6
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She flinched. Just a little. Then:18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAZTfIKlaf
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“No. You love the control. You love the idea of me needing you.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qpgPORupt
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I reached for her wrist. She pulled away.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT5NyaAI8b
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“I loved you like you were oxygen. You loved me like I was fire—you liked the burn, but never wanted to get too close.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVrYgCum6s
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The silence hit harder than any slap.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXm9IWo99J9
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She turned to leave, but stopped at the door.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjur28fK1H
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“Next time you lie to someone about me, Saint—make sure they don’t record it.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9owXhLYKG
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Door slammed.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIcRYn5Fsc
And I was left with her voice echoing in my head.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx1olWymay
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Not the one on the tape.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTX7GcaVwF
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The one that finally decided she was done.
and then Add to home screen.