I look around my store, impressed with how everything looks. When I walked into this place some months ago, it was a complete mess but the hours put into changing this place were worth it because it looks unrecognizable. The walls that had paint that was peeling are now grey with two of the sides having a beautiful grey and white wallpaper. The ceiling that was falling apart looks amazing now and it has two beautiful chandeliers hanging and there are racks and shelves that have lingerie on them.

To say I am proud of myself would be an understatement because that doesn't fully express how I feel in this moment. I went from having a dream to having an online store being run in my apartment to renting a space and now owning my owm space which is honestly a dream come true. I'm proud of the growth because it hasn't been easy but I've somehow managed to do it. Not only has my team grown but I have more products now which include: sexy nightdresses, two piece sets and silk robes.

I'm planning on doing a grand opening at the beginning of September which is in a couple of weeks so I've been doing quite a bit of running around so everything is set by the time I have the grand opening. This time around it's not only for family/friends but it's open to anyone who wants to be at the grand opening.

It's really a dream come true and sometimes I have to pinch myself because I can't believe I am living the life I manifested. After a long day at work, I decide to go home. I make my way to my new vehicle that I purchased not too long ago— your girl is slowly elevating herself. As I'm driving home, I decide to call Kofi in the hopes that he'll finally answer one of my calls.

The number you have a dialed is not available at the moment. Please try again later.

I have been hearing that for the last couple of days and I am getting worried about Kofi because this is unlike him not to pick up. The last time we spoke he wasn't himself and I thought maybe he needed some time since he said he wasn't feeling to good but I feel I have to check up on him. I decide to go to his place just to make sure he is okay.

Once I get to his place, I head up to his floor and when I unlock his door using the key he gave me, I am greeted by a strong stench of weed. I walk into his apartment and it looks so messy, with bottles of alcohol on the floor, food containers laying everywhere and there's a huge mess in the kitchen. Ever since I have known Kofi, he has always been a guy that keeps everything neat so seeing his place looking like this takes me by surprise.

The tv is on but he isn't in the living room so I go into his bedroom where I find him sleeping on his bed. Instead of waking him up, I let him get some rest while I clean up his apartment. Forty five minutes later his place no longer has alcohol bottles on the floor or food containers laying around and the stench of weed has almost gone. I load his laundry into the washing machine while I scrub the kitchen and the bathroom. When I finish cleaning up, I order some Chinese food and once it comes I go wake him up.

"Baby."

"Mmmm."

"Wake up, I ordered us something to eat." I tell him and he makes movements which show that he is getting up.

He walks out of his room some minutes later and I get a good look at him, he doesn't look good at all. His eyes are bloodshot red, he reeks of weed and alcohol plus he has this dangerous look on his face that would make anyone run. I have seen him stressed about certain things but I have never seen him like this. He goes to the sink and washes his hands before he joins me at the dining table.

"I got some egg rolls with the dip that you like and some chicken chow mein." I say hoping to get some kind of reaction from him but he doesn't say anything. I make him a plate and we sit in silence for a little before I break the silence.

"So... how have you been?"

"Good." he says in a gruff voice.

"How come I'm finding it hard to believe that you're good?"

"I'm good just a little stressed out about life."

"What's going on? I haven't heard from you in a couple of days which is unusual."

"I just needed some time and space to think that's all."

"Well I was worried that something had happened to you because you kinda went ghost." I says and he huffs.

"I just said I needed some time alone that's why I haven't been picking up your calls. What's so difficult to understand about that?" he retorts.

"There's no need to be rude Kofi. I didn't know that asking why my fiancé has been distant is wrong."

"You don't have to be on my dick every single day." he retorts and I'm in disbelief that the loving man I saw a couple of days ago has been replaced by this man that I don't recognize at all.

"What's your problem? I just asked what's wrong with you and you're being rude to me when I haven't done anything to you. Did I do something?" I ask getting frustrated at this point.

"I'm getting frustrated with explaining that I just want to be alone right now. I didn't ask you to come here so I don't know why you're complaining when you came into my space. If you don't like how I'm acting, you can leave because I don't need you here."

"I guess I should leave then if my presence is not wanted."

"That's the smartest thing you've said since you've been here."

"Wow... I can't believe you just said that to me. This is the thanks I get for wanting to be there for someone." I say as I'm getting up from the chair.

"You know what, I've been doing a lot of thinking and I don't think this relationship shit is working out for me. I just want to be alone right now." he says and I feel my heart being ripped out of my chest. I look him in the eyes and they are void of any emotion which is heartbreaking. The way he's looking at me makes me feel like I disgust him right now. The old me would have argued with him but I walk away from the table and I head to his bedroom where I start collecting all my belongings. There's no need for me to have my things here anymore since he has made it very clear that he no longer wants to be with me. I put all my stuff in the duffle bag that I have here and I grab more stuff that is in the bathroom. When I walk out of his bedroom I find him in his living room watching tv with a blunt in his hand.

"Kofi is this really what you want to do? Are we really ending our relationship?" I ask on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry for hurting you but I think this is for the best."

"Okay then." I say while removing the engagement ring on my finger because it no longer holds any meaning.

"I'll leave the ring and your key on your kitchen counter. I didn't think we would ever get to a point where our relationship would come to an end because I believed you were the one for me but I guess I was wrong. I hope you find happiness even if it's not with me and I also hope that you heal from whatever it is you are hurting from." I say before walking towards the door.

Before I close the door, I stand there for a moment hoping that he will run after me but he doesn't which makes me realize that this is truly over. I was hoping he would run after me and tell me that it isn't over but who was I kidding. I walk down the hallway still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my relationship with Kofi has just ended. How did we go from being happily engaged a few days ago to a point where he looked at me like I'm disgusting. I finally make it to my car and I lay my head on the steering wheel as the waterworks start. I sit in my car for a little before my phone starts ringing and when I check the caller it's my cousin Chi.

"Hey Thembi."

"Hey Chi." I say softly.

"Why do you sound so low?"

"I just had a long day that's all."

"Are you sure that's the reason? You usually sound like this when something is wrong." she says and I find myself crying all over again. I was planning on keeping this poker face but her asking if I'm truly okay is what made me start crying again because I'm really not okay.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Kofi."

"Did something happen to him?"

"No, he ended things with me."

"I'm so sorry. Do you want me to come over with some snacks so we can talk about what happened?"

"Yes please."

"Okay, I'll be at your place in thirty minutes."

After hanging up, I dry my tears and I drive home. Once I get to my place, I change into an oversized t-shirt, sweatpants and fuzzy socks. I look at my appearance as I am removing my makeup and I look horrible. My eyes are red and puffy, my nose is runny and I have tear stains on my cheeks. My physical appearance looks atrocious but it's not nearly as bad as I feel on the inside.

Once I cleanse my face, I sit in front of the tv hoping that I can get some kind of distraction but it doesn't seem to work. My mind is going back to the fact that my fiancé just ended things with me and I'm still in disbelief about it. There's a knock on my door and when I open the door it's my cousin Chi. She gives me a sympathetic look which I didn't want to get because I knew it would make me cry once again. She walks inside and closes the door before she gives me a hug that probably lasts for about five minutes. We pull apart and I lead us to the living room where we sit on the couch facing each other.

"Did you eat something?" she asks and I nod.

"What did you eat?"

"I had Chinese at Kofi's place."

"Okay good. I brought your favorites so we have something to snack on while we talk."

"Thank you for coming. I don't know what I would do without you."

"No worries, it's my job as your older sis to make sure you're good. So what happened?"

"I hadn't heard from Kofi in a couple of days which I found a bit odd so I decided to stop by his apartment so I could check up on him. His place was kinda messy so I cleaned up for him and even ordered us some food. He didn't look like himself so during dinner I decided to find out what was wrong with him which I shouldn't have done because that's when all hell broke loose. All he said was that he doesn't want to be in a relationship anymore and that he wants to be alone."

"Did he tell you why he wants to be alone?"

"No."

"I'm sorry Thembi."

"I don't understand how we went from being in love a couple of days ago to us ending our relationship in an instant. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

"It sounds like he just wants some time to himself so he can figure things out."

"I understand that he wants some space but the way he looked at me made me feel I didn't even matter, it was as if I disgusted him."

"He's probably hurting about something and he just needs some time to work on it by himself. You should just give him the space he needs and hopefully you'll be able to talk about things at a later date."

"I guess. You know, I want to hate him so much but I can't."

"That's because you love him and I have no doubt that he still loves you but he needs time to figure things out Thembi. In the meantime, I don't want you to sit here feeling sorry for yourself or for you to feel like there's something wrong with you. Use this time to focus on yourself and your business."

"It's easier said than done. I feel like a piece of me just got ripped out."

"It's okay to feel the way you do because this is a man you love. It's going to hurt for a while, if not more than it already does but you will eventually get to a point where it won't hurt anymore."

"I don't know if I'll ever get over him because I love this man more than you'll ever know."

I know you love him and I know you are hurting right now but it'll get better, trust me."

"I guess." I reply softly.

"Now lets watch some movies and eat these snacks." she says and I simply nod.

I appreciate Chi so much because if it wasn't for her, I probably would have been laying in bed feeling sorry for myself and wondering what I did wrong or I would have sent him a paragraph telling him how much he has hurt me. As much as he hurt me, I can't help but wonder what it is that is hurting him. Whatever it is, it seemed deep just by the way he sounded and I have to respect his wishes to be alone even if that's not what I want.

I honestly do not know how I am going to get over this because I never thought Kofi and I would get to a point where we would be broken up. If we're meant to be then maybe it'll work out some day but right now I'm only focusing on myself and my business. We spend the night watching Disney movies curtesy of my cousin, I know what you're probably thinking but they seem to make smile just a little bit. Chi ends up sleeping over which I'm grateful for because tonight I really needed someone to vent to and I'm glad she was that person.