notice what I’d been hiding from you.”

A cold weight settled in my chest. “What are you talking about?”

His smirk deepened. “Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly heartbroken when you picked the dog that day.

Things had been over for a while. That was just a convenient exit.”

Before I could respond, a woman walked up beside him—young, stunning, the kind of effortlessly beautiful that made my breath hitch. She slipped her arm through his without hesitation, tilting her head at me like I was a passing curiosity.

The ground felt like it had shifted beneath me.

But before I could process the sting, a familiar voice cut through the moment.

“Hey, Clara. Sorry, I’m late.”

Greg’s smirk faded. His eyes flickered past me.

I turned, and suddenly, I wasn’t the one caught off guard.

There was Mark.

He walked up, effortlessly slipping into the moment like he belonged there.

In one hand, he held a cup of coffee. In the other? Maggie’s leash.

She was no longer the frail, broken dog I had carried out of the shelter all those months ago.

Her fur gleamed in the sunlight, her eyes sparkled with life, and her tail wagged furiously as she bounded toward me.

Mark handed me my coffee with a smile, then leaned to plant a kiss on my cheek.

Greg’s jaw dropped. “Wait… that’s…”

“Maggie,” I said, scratching behind her ears as she leaned into me. “She’s not going anywhere.”

Greg blinked, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to find words that wouldn’t come.

“But… how is she…?”

“She’s thriving,” I said standing up. “Turns out, all she needed was love and care. Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

I could see it in his face—the disbelief, the struggle to process the reality standing in front of him.

The dog he had written off as a lost cause was alive and happy. And so was I.

Mark, unfazed by the tension, handed me the leash. “Ready to head to the park?” he asked, his voice light, his eyes only on me.

Greg’s expression darkened as he glared between the two of us.

His pride was wounded, and his control over the narrative slipped.

“This is… ridiculous,” he muttered.

“You’re right,” I said, meeting his gaze without flinching. “What’s ridiculous is you thinking I’d regret letting you go.”

His face twisted with anger, but I didn’t care. He immediately stormed off, his new girlfriend trailing behind him, but I didn’t watch them go.

Instead, I turned to Mark, squeezing his hand as Maggie leaned into my leg, her tail thumping happily.

“Ready?” he asked, nodding toward the park.

I smiled.

“More than ever.”

Six months later, we were back at that same park, but this time, everything felt different.

The sun dipped low, casting golden light over the picnic blanket where Mark and I sat. Maggie trotted toward me, something tied to her collar.

I frowned. “Maggie, what’s this?”

Mark grinned.

“Why don’t you check?”

I untied the tiny box, my fingers trembling. Before I could process it, Mark was on one knee.

“Clara,” he said softly. “Will you marry me?”

I glanced at Maggie, who wagged her tail like she had been planning this moment herself.

I laughed through my tears.

“Of course.”

Source: amomama