C20 Men Don't Hide Their Emotions

The words shattered whatever hope remained inside me. The world around me suddenly felt distant. My vision blurred. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I watched silently as Samantha and Ben walked away together and climbed into the same Royce we had seen the previous day. I never asked a single question. I never demanded an explanation. I was too broken to speak.

After the car disappeared, Chris turned toward me. His voice was filled with frustration. “Mike, why didn’t you say anything?” I remained silent. “You just stood there and let them insult us.” Chris shook his head. “You even let her call us lowly born.” I had no answer for Chris. Only tears.

People often say that men are stronger because they know how to hide their emotions. They don’t cry easily. They don’t show weakness. They carry their burdens in silence and keep moving forward.

Maybe that is true for some men. But it wasn’t true for me. Samantha had always been my weakest spot. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

Maybe it was because I was a nerd. Maybe it was because I loved too deeply. All I knew was that my entire world felt shattered.

How could something so big happen right under my nose? How could the woman I loved disappear for six months, return pregnant and standing beside my best friend? And somehow, I still knew nothing.

I struggled to catch my breath, everything felt heavy, every inch of body hurt.