Mentioning my mom stopped me in my tracks. If anyone wanted me to stay with Corbin Murray more than anyone else, it was certainly her.
Corbin and I started building our lives together when we were seventeen. In those tough days, we would share a single meal, and Corbin always made sure I got the roast beef. In the bitter cold of winter, he worked as a bicycle messenger, saving every penny. He wouldn’t spend a cent on himself but once managed to buy me a ring.
"Even though it's just a simple band now, one day I'll give you a bigger, brighter diamond," he promised.
We lived in a tiny basement apartment, barely a few hundred square feet. With no heat in winter, we kept warm by holding each other close. When summer came, it got so hot that Corbin took me to sleep in the park.
My mom saw all this, and it broke her heart. She sold everything she had to help Corbin start his business. When he earned his first fortune, he bought a luxurious condo downtown, with perfect climate control all year round. In front of my mom, he vowed to always take care of me.
My mom was moved to tears, managing to say only, "You two must look after each other."
I was hopeful then, thinking the future was full of promise. But in just a few short years, everything changed beyond recognition.
Corbin cheated. My mom was diagnosed with cancer. Her treatment costs tens of thousands each year. If it weren’t for Corbin covering the expenses, I might have lost her long ago.
But now...
"No need to trouble yourself. Thanks." I concluded the meeting politely, opened the door, and left.
