I turned around slowly, my heart pounding.

There, standing on the sidewalk, was Maggie.

Not just Maggie—but Maggie, bounding toward me like a dog half her age. Her gray muzzle was speckled with crumbs from whatever treat she had just stolen, and her tail wagged wildly as she launched herself at me, nearly knocking my coffee out of my hands.

Greg’s face was a storm of confusion and disbelief. “She’s—she’s still alive?”

I knelt to rub Maggie’s ears, laughing as she licked my face. “Yes, Greg. She is.”

His new girlfriend looked at him with an arched brow. “You said it was some dying mutt.”

Greg ignored her. He was still staring at Maggie, as if she were a ghost. “You told me she had a month.”

I stood, my smile unwavering. “And yet, here we are. Turns out love can do a lot for a soul, human or otherwise.”

Greg scoffed, shaking his head. “So what? You threw away our marriage for a dog that should’ve been dead months ago?”

I tilted my head, considering his words. “No, Greg. I threw away a marriage that was already dead. Maggie just helped me see it.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but his girlfriend tugged on his arm. “Come on, Greg. This is pathetic.”

He turned back to me one last time, as if searching for something—regret, sadness, maybe even an opening to wound me. But I had nothing left to give him.

Maggie barked, a single sharp sound that made Greg flinch.

I smiled. “Good girl.”

As he walked away, I felt something light inside me—like a weight I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying was suddenly gone. I looked down at Maggie, who gazed back up at me, tongue lolling out in a happy pant.

“Ready to go home, girl?” I asked.

She barked again, and I knew, in that moment, I had made the right choice.

Sometimes, love isn’t about how long you have—it’s about how deeply you’re willing to give it, no matter the time.

So, tell me—have you ever made a choice that changed your life in ways you never expected?