I ended my engagement after my fiancée asked for a break to see if her ex still meant something to her. She thought I would sit and wait inside the life we had spent four years building — until three days later, her mother called me, and Tessa finally realized I was never her backup plan.

My voice sounded calmer than I felt. She straightened slightly, almost relieved, as if she had prepared for this part. “I think we need space to figure things out,” she said.

“I’ll take some time to see if my feelings for Dylan are genuine, and you can think about us too.”

I stared at her. “So you need to date your ex, and I need to reflect on us?”

She sighed, like I was being difficult. “It’s not about you doing something wrong, Liam.

This is about me figuring out what I need.”

The words sounded rehearsed. The way she avoided my eyes, the careful tilt of her voice, the way she had an answer ready for every obvious objection. She had already decided this was happening.

She did not want permission. She wanted me to accept the terms. “You know this sounds insane, right?” I said.

“You don’t put your fiancé on hold while you go play what-if with a guy who already treated you badly.”