I spent my life savings on the one thing that would make Sarah happiest: the lake house where she grew up. It was the home she always talked about, the one she dreamed of raising a family in. I bought it as a surprise wedding gift, repainting it with blue shutters and restoring everything to how she remembered it. I poured my heart into every nail and brushstroke.

Sarah and I had reconnected when my dad was undergoing cancer treatment—she was his nurse. What started with coffee turned into love. I left my job in Chicago to be with her, believing I was trading ambition for something better: a life together.

Three weeks before the wedding, Sarah left. Said she was confused and needed time. I later found out she reconnected with her high school ex during her bachelorette trip. Months later, she married him in Florida. She never knew about the house.

I moved into the lake house anyway. It was mine now—renovated with love, but no longer tied to the past. Over time, it became my sanctuary, a place of healing. I built a new life inside those walls.

Years passed, and Sarah’s family eventually came to my door. They asked to buy the house back—“for Sarah,” they said. I politely refused. When Sarah herself messaged me, accusing me of revenge, I told her the truth: this was my home now.

I didn’t buy it out of spite. I bought it out of love. And I kept it because I learned to love myself, too.