During our four years at university in Manchester, Sarah was everything I could have hoped for — gentle, patient, and loving unconditionally. But after graduation, my ambition took over. I secured a high-paying job in London while Sarah struggled, eventually taking a receptionist role. Convinced I deserved someone who could advance my career, I left her for the managing director’s daughter, dismissing Sarah’s heartbreak.

Years later, my marriage was hollow. My wife constantly belittled me, and the pressures of wealth and status overshadowed happiness. Then I heard Sarah was getting married. Initially, I planned to attend her wedding to mock her choices. I imagined her life hard and joyless, but reality struck differently.

Standing at the altar was Ben, my one-legged university flatmate. Despite his modest job as a construction supervisor, he radiated warmth, loyalty, and love. Sarah looked radiant, truly happy, holding a man who valued her entirely.

That night, I realized my greatest loss wasn’t financial. Money could be earned, but love, trust, and human connection — once forsaken — may never return. True wealth, I learned, is measured by the heart, not by status.

Quote: “Money can always be earned again. But human connection — once lost — may never return.”