The Decade That Wasn’t Ours

I had been dating Sebastian for ten years.

He proposed seven times.

The first time, my dad was in the ICU.

I refused.

The second time, my mom was entangled in a lawsuit.

I refused again.

Later, after both my parents passed away one after another, I was depressed for a long time and had no desire to get married.

After the seventh time, he never brought it up again.

So this year, I decided I would be the one to propose, but he didn't show up.

He said, "Work is busy. Let's talk about it tomorrow when we meet."