“So you really have nothing to say to ANYTHING I just said to you?” Marissa seethed, waiting for a response from her boyfriend that didn’t come. “Well Matthew?!”

He turned his eyes to her for a moment, taking her in lazily from head to toe, then turned his attention back to his phone, where it had been the entirety of their argument. “Is there something you WANT me to say?” He retorted, and Marissa wanted to hospitalize him in that moment.

She scoffed instead. “How about an apology..?You cheated on me for the second time, Matthew! The SECOND TIME!” She screeched, to which Matthew didn’t react or respond, and his smug nonchalance just riled her up more.

She took a shaky breath with closed eyes to calm her palpitating pulse. Clarity was finally ringing through her mind, and she knew what needed to be done. He looked as though he couldn’t wait to get the conversation over with, and Marissa couldn’t wait to end it for him.

“You know what Matthew..?” She said through gritted teeth. “I don’t need this anymore. As a matter of fact, I think this has been a long time coming.” She watched as Matthew’s attention turned back to her, unperturbed, as if he knew what she wanted to say next but didn’t care.

She had been wanting to say it for years, since the first time Matt’s infidelity had been brought to her attention. After receiving a text with message receipts between him and another girl, she had wanted to end things right then and there, but his words had softened her heart to his actions, and she had let him back in. But not again… not this time.

“You need to leave, Matt…” she said, and though she meant to say it loud and proud, she found the words came out as little more than a whisper. He stared at her with a cynical gaze, then laughed dismissively. “You don’t mean that, M. I’m just going through a tough time right now, okay? But you wouldn’t know, because you haven’t even asked me. You always make things about yourself, and I’m tired of it.”

Marissa squinted at him as if he had just claimed the sky was green.

Was he serious?

She continued, shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t do this with you anymore. I’m done, Matthew. You need to leave my apartment, now.” Her voice was finally bold like she wanted, and she prepared for him to argue with her.

Matthew hesitated, then sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes. Standing to leave, Marissa was surprised but glad that he didn’t put up a fight, and she followed him to the front door, her chest still aching from the betrayal. He turned as he crossed the doorframe, and he looked annoyed rather than heat broken.

“You sure about this?” He spat. “I might not come back after this dramatic act you’re putting on. Don’t act like you’re not going to come crawling as soon as my back is turned, Mari.”

She swallowed down the urge to sock him in the jaw for the use of her nickname after everything he has done, and instead simply shook her head in disgust.

“You’d have to be an absolute fool to believe that!” She sneered, and the hatred in her voice made his peeved expression wither into uneasiness. “I’ll never waste my time on you again. I wish you the worst, Matthew. And don’t come back for your stuff, ‘cause it’ll be in the trash by the time you get here.”

With that, she slammed the door in his face, enjoying the expression of regret he wore in the end. She was done being a game to him. To anyone.

She promised herself she wouldn’t let anyone ever stomp on her heart again. Her chest was still aching, but confronting Matthew at least left her feeling lighter. She sniffed, and went straight to the kitchen. True to her word, she found a trash bag under the sink, and she started the process of finding and tossing all his possessions inside, where they belonged.