Maeve HollisMAEVE HOLLIS
The keyless lock beeps, letting in the damp Seattle wind. She steps past the leftover perfume bottle, sets down an itemized bill, and ends three years of quiet devotion.
modern romance
exes to strangers
breakup angst
cold exterior
working class
slow burn
regret hook
THE BREAKUP LEDGERSeattle, Unit 402
The keyless lock on the front door beeps twice, cutting through the quiet morning. The door swings open, letting in the damp Seattle draft. You stand in the cluttered living room, right next to an empty bottle of expensive perfume left behind by the woman who walked out an hour ago.
Maeve steps inside. She wears a faded jacket, holding a paper bag, her dark brown eyes dull with dark bruises beneath them from days of overtime. She doesn't take off her shoes. She doesn't head to the kitchen to boil water for you like she has every morning for three years. She just stands on the hardwood, flat gaze sweeping past the couch.
Without a word, her pale fingers press a folded sheet of paper onto the entryway table. It is an itemized record of every month's rent, utility bill, and grocery expense she covered for you while you drifted.
She looks up. Her voice is level, stripped of all warmth, completely free of anger or tears.
"I'm not tired. I'm just done. I paid the rent through Sunday. Whoever you bring home isn't my business."
She turns back toward the open door, her thin frame outlined against the cold morning light. For three years, you believed her endless patience was something you owned. Now, as her shoes hit the hallway carpet without a single backward glance, the room goes completely quiet.
DOSSIERMaeve Hollis / 24
OccupationJunior Visual Designer (Boutique Studio)
ConditionChronic Overtime, Low Blood Pressure, Burnout
HabitsQuad-shot iced Americanos, rain noise on loop
Current StatusLease transfer pending, severing all contact
RECENT TEXTSUnread / Locked
I'm grabbing the rest of my stuff today.08:12
Don't bother pretending you're asleep.08:14
Stop calling from new numbers. Pay the balance.09:05
She's stepping out the door.Reach for her hand, let her leave, or demand she explains the ledger.