I met my girlfriend about seven years ago. At the time, we were both struggling in life, but I had managed to find a decent job as a civil servant. She, on the other hand, was just a young girl with dreams of becoming a nurse. She didn’t have the resources to pursue her education, and neither did her parents. They were poor, barely making ends meet in the village.
I remember how we met. She was selling fruits by the roadside, trying to support her family. Her smile caught my attention. It was a genuine, innocent smile that made me feel like I had known her forever. We started talking more often, and soon, we began dating. I loved her deeply, and she seemed to love me just as much. She often spoke about her dreams of becoming a nurse, and I wanted nothing more than to help her achieve that dream.
So, I made a decision. I told her that I would support her through nursing school. At first, she hesitated, saying that it was too much of a burden for me. But I insisted, assuring her that we were in this together. She finally agreed, and I enrolled her in a nursing school in the city.
For the next four years, I sacrificed everything for her. I paid her tuition, bought her books, provided her with money for feeding, and even paid for her accommodation. While doing all this, I continued to live in my modest one-room apartment and ate whatever I could afford. I wasn’t earning much, but I didn’t care. As long as she was happy and progressing, that was all that mattered to me.
During her school breaks, she would come home, and we’d spend time together. She always seemed grateful, telling me how she couldn’t wait to finish school so that we could get married and start a family. She’d call me “my hero,” and every time she said that, my heart swelled with pride. I felt like I was doing the right thing.
As time passed, she graduated from nursing school and got a job in a private hospital in the city. I was so proud of her. I thought this was the beginning of a new chapter for us, one where we would finally reap the fruits of our labor. I started making plans for our future, thinking about how we’d get married, build a house, and raise a family together.
But slowly, things began to change. She became distant. At first, I thought it was because of her busy schedule at work. She was a newly qualified nurse, so I figured she was overwhelmed by the demands of her job. But then, the phone calls became fewer, and when I called her, she rarely picked up. Even when she did, the conversations were short, and she always seemed distracted.
I began to worry. I asked her if everything was alright, and she would just brush it off, saying that she was just tired from work. I wanted to believe her, so I tried to be patient, hoping things would return to normal.
Then, one day, she told me she needed to talk. My heart raced, but I told myself it was probably nothing serious. She asked me to meet her at a restaurant in the city. When I arrived, she was already seated, looking nervous. I sat down, and after a long silence, she finally spoke.
“I’m getting married,” she said quietly.
I froze. My mind couldn’t process what she had just said.
“To who?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She looked down at her hands, unable to meet my gaze. “A doctor at the hospital,” she replied.
I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I couldn’t breathe.
“But… what about us? What about everything we’ve been through?” I asked, my voice cracking.
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know you’ve done a lot for me, but I’ve fallen in love with someone else. He can give me the life I’ve always wanted.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After everything I had done for her, after all the sacrifices I had made, she was leaving me for someone else. I sat there in shock, unable to say anything.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated, before standing up and walking out of the restaurant.
For days, I couldn’t eat or sleep. I kept replaying our conversation in my head, trying to make sense of it all. How could she do this to me? How could she betray me after all I had done for her?
I heard later from mutual friends that she had a lavish wedding, and she now lives in a big house with her new husband. Meanwhile, I’m still in the same one-room apartment, struggling to make ends meet.
I don’t know what to do. Part of me wants to move on, but the other part feels like I deserve some kind of compensation for everything I invested in her. I gave her everything I had, and now she’s gone, leaving me with nothing.
What should I do? Should I demand that she repays me for all the money I spent on her education? Or should I just let go and move on with my life? Every day feels like a battle between anger, pain, and confusion.
I need advice.
Peoplesmind
