It had been a year to the day since we’d parted, and there he was laughing, strolling arm-in-arm with his latest lover. As he neared, our eyes locked for the briefest moment. I opened my mouth to speak but all that emerged was the hollow silence of a broken heart.

Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent. In addition to 50-Word Stories, his short stories have appeared in dozens of publications. His first novel, “Deadline,” was published in September. He lives outside Chicago.