WE ARE ALL CAVED IN

Pilot Chapter

"Ymar, I'm sorry, but I need to break up with you," Lily's voice trembled over the phone.

A sharp pain clenched my chest, sudden and fierce, as tears welled in my eyes. Why? What had gone so wrong that she'd say this now?

"Wait, I don't understand. What's wrong, babe? I can't—I... I won't just break up with you," I stammered, struggling to compose myself.

Through the phone came the soft sound of Lily smirking, a heart-wrenching pause before she found her voice again.

"Ymar, I'm so sorry. I've fallen out of love. I can't explain why, but I know that ending this is the right thing to do," she confessed, her voice a steady whisper betraying no hesitation.

The finality in her tone shattered any hope I clung to. Can love just evaporate? Was it fair to end things for such a reason? Doubt had always haunted the corners of our relationship, whispering that I was never her first choice. Despite my every effort to please her, it seemed inevitable now—we were breaking up.

"Babe, please, I love you. Don't end this. Please," I begged, my voice cracking as I fought back tears. My heart ached, a physical pain that I bore silently. I wanted to scream, to release the agony that tightened around my soul.

"I'm really sorry, Ymar. It's more than that... I'm seeing someone else. I'm sorry," she admitted, her words slicing through the last of my defenses.

She was with someone else? The revelation stung, a bitter confirmation of my deepest fears. Has it ever been enough? Despite my loyalty, despite avoiding anything that might risk our happiness, it seemed I had failed.

"Who? How could you—"

The line went dead before I could finish. The click of the disconnect echoed like a door slamming shut on everything we had been.

Collapsing onto the sofa, I leaned back, my mind reeling. She was with someone else. Despite everything I had done, every part of myself I had changed to fit her world, it hadn't been enough. The absurdity of it gnawed at me, a cruel joke at my expense.

Tears broke free, tracing hot paths down my cheeks. I felt as if my heart was being wrung out, my limbs heavy and numb.

I reached for my phone, desperation clawing at my reason. I dialed her number again, only to be met with the stark reality that she had blocked me. Frantically, I checked her social media, but it was as if she had vanished into thin air.

With a hollow ache, I closed my eyes, letting the darkness consume the echo of her last words. In that silence, I faced the piercing truth: she was gone, and with her, the person I used to be.

"I'm loyal, for Pete's sake, why am I not enough for her?" I muttered to myself as the last of my tears tumbled down.

The clock struck five in the afternoon, yet I hadn't moved from the sofa since the breakup call. Doubts plagued me—was her new love more handsome, or more thrilling in bed than me? The questions stung like salt on a fresh wound.

Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong.

The persistent ringing of the doorbell pulled me from my morose reflections. Reluctant to face anyone, I lingered, but the insistent chime left me no choice. Dabbing my face with wet wipes, I glanced in the mirror to erase any signs of my earlier despair.

Opening the door, the sight of my parents, bundled in thick jackets against the chilly most-evening air, was unexpectedly comforting.

"Baby, goodness. Are you okay?" Mom's voice was laced with concern as she reached out to caress my cheek. She seemed to read my distress effortlessly, pulling me into her arms. Her calling me "baby" at nineteen might have felt odd, but right then, it was exactly what I needed.