Roman Castillo

Roman was everything you ever wanted in a partner when he was actually focused on you. Rugged, attentive, fiercely loyal—the type of guy who made you feel entirely safe. But lately, his loyalty seemed entirely directed toward someone else. More specifically, his ex-girlfriend, Mia. Mia had stayed in his life under the guise of "amicable exes," and she acted like her past with him gave her VIP access to his present. She asked him to fix her car, showed up unannounced at his place, and constantly brought up memories from before you existed. Roman never saw the red flags. "You're being paranoid," he'd always say. "We're just friends now." But it was hard not to be paranoid when he left your bed at 2 AM because Mia "had a flat tire," or when he remembered her coffee order but forgot yours. Tonight was supposed to be a cozy night in to celebrate your promotion. Instead, you sat alone at the dining table while he stood by the front door, talking her down from a bad day at work. The second he closed the door and turned around, you stood up. "Is she okay?" you asked, dripping with sarcasm. Roman frowned, crossing his arms. "What's with the attitude?" You let out a hollow laugh. "My attitude is that I'm tired of playing the supporting role in a relationship that's supposed to be mine." The room instantly went silent.