Page 3 of The Friendly Fall

“You … what?” He furrows his dark brows in confusion, setting his briefcase down by the couch. “You can’t be serious.”

I nod, fighting to hold back tears. “Mr. Hudson called me into his office at lunch and fired me. He said that Ted is going to take over my position. It has something to do with budget cuts.”

“Typical excuse.”

“Um…” my voice trails off. “I don’t really know what that means.”

“It means that he just wanted to get rid of you but didn’t want to make a scene about it. It’s a classic move.” He chuckles, rolling his eyes at me.

My shoulders slump. “Okay…”

“So, what’s your plan now?”

Devon’s indifference to my situation stings, but it’s not entirely unexpected. He’s always been more wrapped up in his own career than anything else. I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself before responding.

“I … I don’t know,” I begin, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just found out this afternoon. I haven’t really had time to come up with a plan yet.”

He studies me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “Well, you can’t just sit around moping. You need to figure things out, fast.”

I stare at him for a moment, my mouth agape as his words sink in.

“I’ll figure it out,” I say with more conviction than I feel. “I always do.”

“Yeah, and um, while we’re on this subject.” He leans against the counter, giving me a weird look—one that makes my heart sink. “I know it’s bad timing … But…”

“But what?” I ask, panic rising in my chest.

“I think we should take some time apart.”

“Time apart? Are youserious,Devon? Why?” I explode, throwing my hands in the air.

“Woah. Calm down, Eliza. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. And now that you’ve lost your job, I don’t really have time to deal with this right now. You know I have a lot on my plate.”

I can’t believe this. After eight years together, he wants to take a break because I lost my job? The anger swirling inside me reaches a boiling point as I stare at him in disbelief.

How could he be so selfish?

“Areyou seriously breaking up with me because Ilost my job?” My voice trembles with a mixture of hurt and rage. “You’re really going toabandonme when I need support the most?”

“C’mon, don’t be so dramatic. I can’t handle you like this.” He rolls his eyes. “It’s more than just the job. You also keep harping on the marriage thing, and it’s been bugging me for a while now. I’m just not ready for that kind of commitment.”

“So … you’ve just been stringing me along for eight years? For what?” I fume, shaking my head.

Devon lets out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think it would be an issue.”

“Seriously? I’ve been open about what I want for our future from the beginning, and I thought we were on the same page. If you weren’t ready, you should’ve told me instead of leading me on.”

“I thought you were happy with how things were—us living together and stuff. I mean, what even is the point of getting married? It’s just a piece of paper.”

My chest tightens at the realization that the man I thought I knew so well, the man I’ve built myentirelife around, is nothing but a stranger.

“You don’t understand at all, do you?” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Marriage isn’t just about living together or a piece of paper. It’s about commitment, partnership, building a life together…”

He shrugs. “I guess we just have different priorities. Look, let’s not make this more difficult than it needs to be. I’ll go stay with Jared for a few weeks until you can find a place, or figure something out.”

With that, he heads to the bedroom, and based on the shuffling and banging around, he’s packing a bag. I swallow the emotions welling up in my chest, threatening to spill over in the form of some sort of mental breakdown.

Blinking back the tears, I swoop my phone up from where it sits on the couch and head for the spare bedroom on the other side of the apartment. Scrolling through my contacts, I make it to my granny’s number and hit the call button.

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