It began softly, like most heartbreaks. A casual scroll — a tagged photo — a cheerful post from someone I barely knew. My partner’s mother, beaming at her birthday, surrounded by family.
My heart sank. Her birthday — how did I miss it? But then a chill set in: I didn’t forget — I never knew. My partner had said nothing.
I zoomed in. They were there, arms around their mother, surrounded by siblings and cousins. But not me. They weren’t looking at the camera, they were looking at her — with the same adoring look I thought was just for me.