Golden Hours

The sunbeams dance on my bedroom wall. I roll over. My hand reaches out. Seeking warmth, only to find the cold, empty space beside me. The scent of your cologne still lingers here somehow. I try to distract myself in anything that can take my mind off you. But no matter how hard I try, the memories keep creeping in. The way your eyes sparkled when you smiled is so vivid. Now I see you everywhere. In the crowd, in the faces of strangers.  The pain washes over me, threatening to drown me in its depths. I know I need to find happiness again. But it's easier said than done. A single tear rolls down my cheek as I lay here. I wonder, how could the man who promised me the world be the one to shatter it?

It's the same old story. The weight of expectation draped upon my shoulders. My worth's being questioned. Not by the skills that I have, but by the curve of my hips and the timbre of my voice. I'm a woman in a man's world.   They see me, yet they don't. My ideas are dismissed as "too aggressive," while my male counterparts' musings are hailed as visionary. As if my intelligence is a weapon to be wielded cautiously. They seem to think that my gender is somehow more important than my qualifications.   I try to be polite, but I'm so frustrated. It's 2024 for crying out loud! Shouldn't we be past this by now?    It's exhausting, to be honest. To constantly prove yourself. To fight for your place at the table. I'm tired of being the only woman in the room. I'm tired of being talked over. I'm tired of being underestimated. But I'm not giving up. I'm determined to break down these barriers. And I won't let anyone tell m...

I don't understand how you could just walk away from everything we've built all those years. I can't fathom a life without you. We were supposed to be forever, weren't we?   Tears blurring my vision. I tried to plead with you. But your mind is made up.    Why can't you see that we have something special? Something worth fighting for. This small town is all I've ever known. It's where we first met, shared our first kiss, and it's where we thought we'd grow old together. The memories we've made here. Are they to be cast aside like yesterday's news?    No, I'll keep holding onto the fragments of our past.   I'm afraid of losing what we have. You say that it's for the best. How can you expect me to simply let go? Who are you to break a heart that has only ever known love? Must we uproot ourselves, leaving behind the garden we've tended with such care?   It's a painful tug-of-war. The thought of parting ways fills me with dread...