Christmas2024
Marco Vitale ♂
16
The gift sat on the coffee table, perfectly wrapped in gold paper with a red bow. It was simple but thoughtful—a bracelet Layla had admired months ago. Marco had saved for it, hoping it would make her smile. But now, as she paced the room, her sharp words filled the air, and the gift felt meaningless.
“Do you even care how much effort I put into this?” Layla snapped, gesturing to the decorations spread across the table.
Marco sighed, trying to stay calm. “Layla, it’s not about effort. It’s just… everything has to be your way. I feel like I can’t even breathe without you telling me how to do it.”
She stopped, her dark eyes blazing. “So, now I’m the problem? I’m trying to make things better, and you act like I’m controlling.”
This wasn’t new. The tension had been growing for months. Marco loved her, but it felt like he was living in a world she controlled.
“Layla, I can’t do this anymore,” he said, the words cutting through the air.
Her expression shifted, the anger softening into something more fragile. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t think this is working,” Marco said, glancing at the gift on the table. “I feel like I’m suffocating. I know you mean well, but it’s too much. I can’t keep pretending I’m okay.”
She stared at him, stunned into silence. He picked up the gift and held it out to her. “I still want you to have this.”
She looked at the box, then back at him. “You’re breaking up with me on Christmas Eve… and giving me a gift?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice weak. “I didn’t plan this, but I can’t stay in a relationship where I don’t have a voice.”
Her hands trembled as she took the box. “Fine,” she said, her voice distant. “If that’s how you feel, then leave.”
Marco wanted to explain, to make her understand, but her eyes stopped him. He walked out into the cold night, his chest heavy with regret.
He loved her. But sometimes love wasn’t enough.
