I watch as he breaks her heart the same way he has broken mine time and time again.

“Why?” — she asks stoically, her voice hitching at the end giving her true feelings away, all while she tries to wrap her mind around what could be more important than her.

“It’s ok, I understand.” — she responds, her voice beginning to quiver as it takes every ounce of her being to hold herself together.

I know at this point she’s no longer hearing the words coming out of his mouth; a silent film. Her focus is purely on maintaining this nonchalant facade. But I see her.

I watch as her gaze lowers, slowly blinking away the tears, waiting — willing — for him to finally hang up so she can let the waves she’s holding at bay crash down.

“I love you, bye”
“Ok…” is all she can muster before the click of the phone gives her permission to open the floodgates.

I know this pain all too well — the familiarity of how this all plays out, how little it will bother him, breaks my heart. In that moment, I relive it all through her.

What once was witnessed as an out of body experience now unfolds before my eyes, but my body and mind still frozen, unsure how to respond. So I do the one thing I wish someone would’ve done for me, to retether me — I hold her.