When I once again thought about the one that got away, I didn’t expect what happened next. The call on that fateful day led me down a path I’d last taken five years before. It started rough but ended with me feeling hopeful for my future.

Maybe I called this upon myself today by entertaining thoughts of the past because I don’t know how else to explain it.

Perhaps it was fate that landed me where I am, I’m not sure. Here’s my tale, you be the judge.

The late afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, casting long shadows across my apartment. I sat at my desk, my eyes glazed over as I stared at the blinking cursor on my computer screen.

I was in my own world, unaware of the work on the screen in front of me.

The warm glow of the day did little to lift the cloud of melancholy that had settled over me. Years had passed, but some wounds seemed to resist healing. It’s been five years since I broke up with David.

Five long years ago since I found out he was cheating on me.

I had been a different person, full of hope, in love with David, and dreaming of a future together. The betrayal was like a knife to my heart. It felt like my world shattered into a million pieces on that fateful day.

I loved him.

But I knew I couldn’t stay with someone who had hurt me so badly and torn my world apart. So I ended our relationship and walked away. Ever since, I’ve been trying to move on, but the scars remain.

Life had moved forward in the years since our breakup, and I thought I was over it.

I graduated from college, secured a steady and decent job, and built a new circle of friends. Despite these accomplishments, there were still moments when the pain of the past resurfaced now and then.

It came from nowhere, unbidden and unwelcome. It felt like a sharp stab of sadness, like a ghost from the life I almost had with him.

Today was one of those days. Lost in thought, I nearly jumped out of my chair when my phone rang!

I glanced at the screen and BAM, I felt my heart skip a beat! It was David!

My fingers hovered over the answer button. A mix of curiosity and apprehension swirled within me as my heart started pounding. Why was he calling me now, after all this time?

Taking a deep breath, I did something I probably shouldn’t have…

I answered the call. “Hello?” I whispered, barely holding it together. “Hi, Emma,” came the reply.