I spent that night in a small hotel across town.
Not because I had nowhere else to go.
Because I needed time to think.
Benjamin expected tears.
He expected phone calls.
He expected begging.
Instead, he received silence.
And silence frightened him more than anger ever could.
At 6:12 the next morning, my phone rang.
Benjamin.
I declined the call.
Thirty seconds later, another.
Then another.
Then a text.
We need to talk.
I ignored it.