Every time I argued with my boyfriend, Ethan, he would call off our wedding. We had been together for three years, and he had postponed our big day ninety-nine times. On the hundredth time, during a severe storm, his ex-girlfriend’s power went out. He literally kicked me out of the car in the pouring rain just so he could rush over and spend the entire night with her. When he came home the next morning, he handed me a box of cake. I didn’t take it. He sighed, his voice laced with impatience. “Stop acting crazy, Chloe. Nothing happened between us. I just stayed with her because she was scared.” “If you’re going to make a scene over this, consider next month’s wedding canceled again!” Right then, his phone rang. He turned around to answer another call from his ex. This time, I didn’t chase after him to apologize. I just calmly called the venue and canceled the wedding myself. Just like every other time, Ethan slammed the front door on his way out. I knew he did it on purpose. He was waiting for me to swallow my pride, run after him, and beg for his forgiveness. But I just sat on the couch, not moving an inch. There were no tears, no panic, and no desperate urge to fix things. Suddenly, I was just incredibly exhausted. I had done nothing wrong, yet I was always the one on my knees, begging for his love. The AC was blasting, but the cake on the coffee table was already starting to melt. Just like my relationship with Ethan. No matter how hard I tried to patch things up, the cracks between us only grew wider. I dipped my finger in the cream and tasted it. It was sickeningly sweet, but it couldn’t mask the bitterness in my heart. Ethan and I had been dating for three years. In our first year, on the night of our engagement party, he ran off to Hailey’s house to fix her fuses and didn’t come back all night. In our second year, when we were supposed to finalize the wedding date, he took Hailey on a road trip to a neighboring city because she “needed a friend.” And today, because of one phone call from her, he left me stranded in the middle of a storm. As I sat there in a daze, the bedroom door suddenly opened. My heart skipped a beat as Ethan walked toward me. Seeing a bit of cream on the corner of my mouth, he let out a soft, helpless sigh. He pulled out a tissue and gently wiped it away. “Chloe, I’m sorry. I lost my temper earlier.” “I know you don’t like her. I’ll try to avoid seeing Hailey in private from now on.” My defenses crumbled. Hearing those words, tears finally rushed to my eyes. This was the first time in three years he had ever initiated an apology. But before I could even speak, he continued: “When I was at Hailey’s last night, someone took a picture of us and posted it on Instagram. Now everyone is calling her a homewrecker.” “She lives alone, she was terrified of the blackout, and now she’s being dragged into our drama. I need you to post a statement on your Snapchat and Instagram to clear her name.” In an instant, all my warmth turned into a sick joke. He had abandoned me time and time again for his ex. And now, the only reason he was lowering himself to apologize to me was to protect that very same woman. I looked at the face of the man I had loved for five long years, and a laugh escaped my lips. Ethan took it as a yes. “I knew you’d understand, Chloe.” “I’ll send you the screenshots. Once you clear the air, maybe write a quick apology to Hailey so everyone can move on…” Before he could finish, I cut him off. “In your dreams.” Ethan froze. The tenderness on his face vanished, replaced by instant irritation. “Chloe, there is nothing going on between Hailey and me! Why do you have to be so malicious?” “Do you know what these rumors are doing to her reputation? She was crying hysterically on the phone just now!” I stood up from the couch, staring directly into his eyes. “I don’t care about her feelings, and I don’t want to hear her name.” “You want me to defend her? Not a chance.” I clenched my fists, forcing my voice to remain steady. Ethan let out a bitter laugh. “Fine. Fine. Fine.” “If you’re going to be like this, next month’s wedding is officially off.” “And Chloe, don’t you dare come crawling back to me this time!” ***
The heavy thud of the door closing felt like a fist squeezing my heart. It hurt so bad I could barely breathe. Right then, my phone buzzed. I thought it was Ethan. But when I picked it up, it was a message from Hailey. *Chloe, my power went out last night and I was so scared of the dark. Ethan only came over to keep me company. Please don’t misunderstand.* *Honestly, only insecure women get paranoid every day.* I stared at the screen for a few seconds. I didn’t reply, nor did I delete it. So, the emergency that made Ethan kick me out of his car in a raging storm was just a simple power outage. Yet, when I had a high fever and could barely move, I asked him for a glass of water, and he called me “dramatic.” I let out a bitter laugh. When a man doesn’t love you, it’s so obvious. Even if they hadn’t slept together yet, his heart was already gone. Over the next three days, Ethan didn’t return. I didn’t waste any time. I started packing my things. The apartment belonged to him, so I was the one who had to leave. On the fourth day of our silent treatment, my best friend Sarah invited me out to clear my head. In the past, I would have declined just to stay home and wait for Ethan’s call. But this time, I agreed immediately. I also needed to go to the bridal shop to cancel my wedding dress. But I never expected to run into the last two people I wanted to see. Ethan and Hailey were standing right inside the shop. When Ethan saw me, his eyes lit up for a fraction of a second before quickly turning into a look of sheer annoyance. He frowned. “I told you the wedding was called off. Why did you follow me here? If you’re not embarrassed, I am.” Before I could speak, Hailey piped up with a smirk. “Ethan, don’t be so harsh. Chloe’s probably just terrified you’ll actually dump her. After all, the wedding date is so close.” “But Chloe, you’re really embarrassing us women. If I were you, I’d at least hold out until the day before the wedding to beg for him back.” The friends standing with them laughed and chimed in. “Man, Ethan, you really have your woman on a tight leash. One word and she comes running to the bridal shop. Teach us your ways, bro.” The flattery clearly boosted Ethan’s ego. He looked at me like he was granting me a royal pardon. “Fine, I get it. Since you want to get married so badly, I’ll agree to it. Happy?” I used to tolerate these jokes. But today, looking at Ethan’s smug face, I felt nothing but disgust. I looked him dead in the eye and said coldly, “I’m not here for you. I’m here to cancel my dress.” I walked past them straight toward the counter. Everyone froze. They didn’t expect this reaction from me. Hailey was the first to recover. She grabbed my wrist. “Chloe, stop playing hard to get. Ethan already said he’s coming home tonight.” “If you make him angry now, you’re just going to blame me for it later.” “Hailey, the only way you can get back with Ethan is if we break up. Stop acting so innocent. It’s pathetic.” With that, I snatched my wrist back. I didn’t use much force, but she let out a dramatic shriek and fell backward—right into Ethan’s arms. With teary eyes, she whimpered, “Ethan, maybe I should just leave.” “Your friends already think I’m a homewrecker because Chloe keeps misunderstanding us.” “I can take her hitting me today, but what if she comes to my house next time? How am I supposed to live like this?” Ethan’s face darkened completely. He wrapped his arm tightly around Hailey and glared at me. “Chloe, apologize. Now.” His tone left no room for argument. But I didn’t flinch. “No.” His jaw clenched. “If you don’t apologize, we are done. For real.” Even though I had already checked out of this relationship, hearing him say it still made my chest ache. But I kept my face blank and smiled coldly. “Fine. Let’s break up.” ***
My mood was ruined, so after canceling the dress, I went straight back to the apartment. I thought I would toss and turn all night, but I actually slept peacefully. In fact, I slept so well that when I walked downstairs the next morning and saw Hailey in the kitchen, I thought I was still dreaming. She was wearing Ethan’s oversized white button-down shirt, her bare legs fully on display. Ethan, who never cooked, was actually standing at the stove making breakfast. Hearing me walk down, they both turned. Ethan frowned but said nothing. Hailey, however, immediately started explaining. “Chloe, please don’t misunderstand! I drank too much last night and threw up on my clothes. I couldn’t find my keys, so Ethan had no choice but to bring me here.” I let out a dry laugh. “No choice? He looks pretty thrilled to me.” Ethan slammed his spatula onto the counter. He whipped around, glaring at me with pure irritation. “Chloe! That’s enough!” It was laughable. He had brought another woman into our home, and he was telling me *that’s enough*? He only dared to do this because he knew how much I loved him. He had used the “cancel the wedding” threat to control me for three years, and it had worked every single time. I used to think my love and patience would eventually change him. But I forgot that constantly lowering your standards only teaches a man to look down on you. Seeing my silence, Hailey bit her lip dramatically. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I’m just causing more trouble. I’ll leave right now.” She made a show of walking toward the door, but Ethan caught her wrist before she could take two steps. “You’re barely wearing anything. What if you run into some creep outside?” “Eat breakfast first. Once your clothes are dry, I’ll drive you home myself.” He then shot me another annoyed look. “Chloe, is your goal in life just to make everyone miserable first thing in the morning?” “Acting like this only makes me regret ever dating you.” The living room fell into a dead silence. Even Ethan seemed to realize he had gone too export. He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance. “Ethan, you’re not the only one who regrets this.” “And you don’t have to leave. I am.” I walked upstairs. Ten minutes later, I came back down rolling my packed suitcase. Ethan’s eyes widened. A flash of joy crossed Hailey’s face, though she quickly masked it with her usual innocent act. “Chloe, please don’t do this. Ethan and I are just friends.” “I literally had nowhere else to go last night and no clothes to wear. He was just being nice.” I usually didn’t bother wasting my breath on her, but her acting was so insufferable I couldn’t resist. “Nowhere to go? No clothes to wear?” “Did every single hotel and mall in New York shut down last night, forcing you to sleep at another woman’s boyfriend’s apartment in his shirt?” Hailey’s face turned pale. Unable to find a comeback, she looked at Ethan with puppy-dog eyes. “Chloe…” “Shut up, Ethan. I don’t want to hear a single word from you.” I grabbed my handle and walked out. Behind me, Ethan’s furious voice echoed down the hall. “Fine! Have it your way! Don’t marry me then, see if I care!” Then came the deafening sound of the door slamming shut. He left with Hailey. From that day until the day before our scheduled wedding, he never contacted me once. And I didn’t sit around waiting. I handed in my resignation at my design firm and started finalizing my departure. Ethan didn’t call, and I enjoyed the peace. By the time my resignation went through, it was the day before what should have been our wedding. My phone was blowing up all day. They were all messages from our mutual friends. *Chloe, are you still throwing a tantrum? Ethan’s already cooled down. Just text him first and this will all blow over.* *Chloe, Ethan hasn’t even seen Hailey lately. You’re taking this too far!* *The wedding is tomorrow, Chloe. Stop playing hard to get. Men like Ethan don’t grow on trees. If you actually dump him, you’re just handing him over to the girls waiting in line.* Looking at the messages, I just smiled. Ethan was the one who crossed the line, yet everyone assumed I was the one who had to beg for him back. I sent a mass reply to the group chat: *Ethan and I are officially over. Anyone who texts me to take him back will be blocked. Thanks!* I cleared my chat history, blocked everyone associated with Ethan, and deleted my fingerprint from the apartment’s smart lock. I left my engagement ring on the coffee table, sent Ethan one final text, and headed to the airport without looking back. ***
On the other side of town, Ethan was pacing around his apartment, utterly restless. He kept checking his phone. But the screen remained black. In the past, Chloe would always come crawling back within three days. But it had been a week, and there was nothing. Was she actually furious this time? All he did was stay over at Hailey’s for one night. Was that really worth this massive reaction? Then, a sudden thought hit him. He had called off the wedding last year and the year before that. Both times were because of Hailey. No wonder… A pang of guilt hit his chest. Maybe he had crossed the line. He pulled out his phone and typed a message: *Chloe, didn’t you say you wanted to go to the beach? Once I’m done with this busy week, I’ll take you.* But when he hit send, a red exclamation mark appeared. Chloe had blocked him on Snapchat. His chest tightened. He tried calling her number, but a cold, automated voice told him the call couldn’t be completed. She had blocked his number, too. The apartment felt instantly freezing. Just as he was about to call Marcus to find out where Chloe was staying, a text notification popped up from an unknown number. It was Chloe’s final text. *Ethan, we’re done. I left the ring on the coffee table.* Ethan froze. He ran to the living room, and there it was—the diamond ring, sitting silently on the glass table. He picked it up, panic rising in his chest. He snatched his friend’s phone and dialed the number he knew by heart. It rang for a long time before a calm voice answered. “Hello?” Ethan’s breath hitched, his heart aching at the sound of her voice. He wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell her to come home. But his damn pride got in the way, and the moment he opened his mouth, his voice came out sharp and defensive. “Chloe, blocking me and sending breakup texts? Do you really think this petty drama is going to scare me?” “I was already planning on cutting Hailey off, but your behavior is ridiculous. If you don’t come home right now, the wedding is off for good!” Silence met his words. Ethan gripped the phone, his heart practically in his throat. *Just give in a little, Chloe. If you just say sorry, I promise I’ll never see Hailey again,* he thought desperately. But Chloe’s response shattered his hope. “Suit yourself.” “Ethan, we are done. Don’t call me again.” The line went dead. When he tried to call back, he was blocked on that number, too.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “444667”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster
Leave a Reply