Jake’s account became a blank profile photo.
Mutual friends stopped asking questions.
The world moved on and so did I.
I started traveling again.
Small trips at first, places I’d always wanted to visit but kept putting off.
I stopped trying to prove myself to people who only saw me as a backup plan.
I started writing more, reconnecting with people who made me feel like I mattered, not like a budget line.
The last message I got from Jake was months later.
Just a text.
“They’re calling off the wedding.”
I stared at it for a long time, wondering what reaction he wanted from me.
Sympathy, relief, a high five, maybe none of that.
Maybe just acknowledgement.
But I didn’t reply.
Not out of anger.
I just didn’t need to because for once, the silence wasn’t mine to explain.
The silence was his, and it was long overdue.
As for me, I’m good.
I didn’t lose a brother.
I just stopped pretending I still had one.
And truthfully, that’s the most peaceful ending I could ask.
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Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction created for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.