Finn broke up with me nine times because of Nevaeh, his adopted sister. The first time we broke up, I lost my mind and threw all his luggage out the door. The third time, I begged him to leave his bags, terrified he would never come back. By the eighth time, I was packing my own things in absolute silence, asking no questions. Every single time, he would return right on schedule, and we would get back together. Until this time, when he asked for a breakup once again for Nevaeh’s sake. He said, “This is just to calm Nevaeh down. We’ll get back together in a month.” I just smiled and didn’t reply. He had no idea that this time, I had decided to leave for good. And he would never find me again. *** ### “We’ll get back together in a month.” Finn ended our relationship with practiced ease, his voice smooth and comforting. When I agreed, I felt absolutely nothing. I didn’t even have the energy to argue. “Chloe.” Finn frowned, clearly annoyed by my silence. He repeated himself. “Oh. Okay.” I stopped packing my suitcase and looked back at him with a sigh. Finn was a man of his word. Every time we broke up, he would give me an exact date for when we would get back together. He had only lied to me once. It was on the night we officially decided to be together. He held me close and whispered, “You’re the only one I’ll ever love.” Men who talk too sweet can never be trusted. He seemed surprised by how calm I was. After all, during our previous breakups, I would completely lose control, crying my eyes out in front of him. “So, I’ll pack my things and move out this time…” Finn was still trying to find the right words, but I cut him off. “No need. I’ll move out. I’ve already packed most of my things.” A look of utter shock flashed across his face. The first time we broke up, I lost my mind and threw all his luggage out of the house. The third time, I begged him to leave his bags, terrified he would never come back. By the eighth time, I was packing my own things in absolute silence, asking no questions. My meltdowns, my begging, my obedience. All of it had bought me his promise to return. Along with the inevitable breakup that followed. Three days ago, Finn had handed me a gift. It was a deep blue velvet box. Inside was a diamond key pendant necklace from Tiffany. It was incredibly expensive—his usual way of buying off his guilt. I had forced a smile, though my heart was aching. In all our years together, Finn rarely gave me sweet moments. Every sudden gesture of affection was always a warning sign of the pain about to follow. That night, unable to sleep, I heard him talking on the balcony. His voice was low, but every word was crystal clear: “…I know. I’ll talk to her tomorrow… Nevaeh, please don’t be like this. You know you’ll always be the most important person in my life.” It reminded me of a few nights ago when I went to a bar to pick him up. I overheard him talking to his friends: “…I care about Chloe, but she’s strong and independent. She understands me… Nevaeh is my only family. I can’t lose her.” His friend asked, “So you still love Nevaeh, even though you’re with Chloe?” Finn was silent for a moment before replying, “Yes. I love her.” In that single second, the suffocating pain I had carried for years suddenly vanished. It was never about his responsibility as a brother. He was just using me as a placeholder while carefully loving another woman. Shaking my head, I snapped out of the memory. Under Finn’s heavy, unreadable gaze, I finished packing my bags. As I rolled my suitcase toward the door, I was already planning my permanent escape. Behind me, Finn spoke in a formal, reminding tone. “Chloe. In one month, we get back together.” I didn’t look back. I just waved my hand to show I heard him. What a coincidence. My flight out of the country was also booked for exactly one month from now. *** ###
After moving out of Finn’s apartment, I checked into a condo my parents had left me. Just like during our previous breakups, Finn didn’t reach out to me once. I had only twenty days left before leaving the country. Today, I was meeting my best friend, Joyce, at a trendy new brunch spot downtown. She was passionately trash-talking Finn before she paused and looked at me carefully. “I saw the photos Finn and Nevaeh posted on Instagram. They’re at a winery in Napa Valley.” I remained silent. I suddenly realized that during our past breakups, I would obsessively refresh Finn and Nevaeh’s social media like a masochist. Except for this time. Seeing my silence, Joyce asked gently, “Are you guys broken up again?” In our social circle, Joyce was the only one who knew about our constant cycle of breaking up and getting back together. “Yeah. We’re done.” Joyce sighed and flooded me with comforting words. I smiled, preparing to tell her about my plans to move abroad. But before the words could leave my mouth, I spotted Finn standing near the restaurant entrance, waiting for a table. “Chloe.” He called out to me instinctively. Nevaeh was clinging to his arm, looking incredibly sweet as she greeted me. “Chloe! What a coincidence. Are you here to see Finn?” She really was beautiful. No wonder Finn could never let her go. In the past, whenever we ran into each other like this, I would glare at Nevaeh as if she were my mortal enemy. Finn shot me a intense look, instinctively stepping in front of Nevaeh to shield her. I held Joyce back before she could start a fight and smiled. “Just celebrating some good news with a nice lunch.” Joyce chimed in right on cue: “Exactly! Dumping a toxic guy and finally getting appreciated by someone who actually has good taste. I’d say that’s worth celebrating, wouldn’t you?” I gave Joyce a playful nudge, but deep down, I completely agreed. Finn opened his mouth to speak, but seeing the happy banter between Joyce and me, he remained silent. We were led to different sections of the restaurant. Joyce whispered to me that Finn, seated across the room, kept looking in our direction. I just hummed in response, assuming it was nothing but guilt. “I’m so sorry, ladies,” the waiter said apologetically as Joyce tried to order. “Our chef’s special slow-cooked lamb shank is sold out for the day.” The waiter added, “The last portion was reserved by that lady over there. She’s a regular, and Mr. Collins always makes sure we save the daily specials for her.” Right then, Nevaeh’s soft laughter drifted over. I looked over and saw her naturally cutting a small piece of steak from Finn’s plate. She smiled at him and said, “Finn, yours is cooked perfectly. It’s exactly how I like it.” I smiled, turned back, and ordered something else with Joyce. Then, I pulled the Tiffany diamond necklace Finn had given me out of my bag and handed it to Joyce. “Here, this is for you. Consider it compensation for the lamb shank you didn’t get.” Just then, Finn and Nevaeh rose to leave, walking right past our table. Finn’s eyes locked onto the sparkling diamond necklace in Joyce’s hands. Joyce hesitated, “Chloe, this is way too expensive!…” “Just take it,” I interrupted with a wink. “It’ll look perfect with that new dress of yours, don’t you think?” *** ###
With only ten days left, I handed in my resignation to my boss. After work that day, I walked back to my apartment feeling a mix of relief and nostalgia. Just as I pulled my keys out of my bag, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the stairwell. “Chloe, it’s me.” Finn looked exhausted. I immediately took a step back, maintaining my distance. “What are you doing here?” I made no effort to hide my annoyance. “How did you get in?” “Waiting for you,” Finn said shortly. “I wanted to surprise you.” I was speechless. If this were the past, coming home to find Finn waiting at my door would have been a miracle I prayed for. Now, looking at the strange, searching look in his eyes, I just felt tired. I sighed, feeling a sudden urge to just tell him the truth. But I suppressed it. I didn’t want any unnecessary drama. “You should be with Nevaeh instead of coming here. Don’t make her misunderstand.” I spoke calmly, trying to be reasonable. “Misunderstand what? We’re legally just siblings,” Finn said, ignoring the obvious reality of their dynamic. I tilted my head, looking at him, choosing not to call out his lie. “Whatever you are, I’m just the ex-girlfriend.” Even if our breakups were a joke to him, I was still the ex. Silence fell over the hallway, save for the faint hum of city traffic below. After a long pause, Finn looked up, trying to make his twisted logic sound reasonable. “I know it was wrong of me to break up with you again. But Nevaeh can’t handle you being around. I can’t trigger her. Chloe, you’re different. You’re strong. You can bounce back from anything. But she can’t. If I leave her, she’ll completely fall apart.” I turned away, feeling a sudden wave of disgust. Nevaeh couldn’t be triggered, so I deserved to be discarded nine times? With my back to him, my voice sounded muffled. “How thoughtful of you, Mr. Collins. I have nothing to say.” Finn opened his mouth to speak, but his phone started ringing. It was Nevaeh. The loud, custom ringtone sounded incredibly grating in the quiet hallway. I turned around, looked at her name flashing on the screen, and said calmly, “Go to her. We can talk about us later.” Finn looked at me, then down at his phone. Finally, he turned and walked toward the elevator. I watched his shadow disappear. Only then did I open my door, walk inside, and lock it tight. Locking away everything that had just happened, and everything from our past, behind a door he could never open again. *** ###
Time flew by. After finishing my transition at work, my departure date drew closer. Without a job and without Finn, I completely disconnected from the San Francisco social scene. My life became incredibly peaceful. Only Joyce, who knew I was leaving, would occasionally call to give me updates. She told me that after our run-in at the restaurant, Finn and Nevaeh had a massive fight, and their friends had to step in to mediate. She also mentioned that Nevaeh had publicly screamed at Finn during a dinner party, leaving him standing in the corner looking completely lost. I listened to all of it without feeling a thing. In the past, news of Finn and Nevaeh fighting was my green light to beg him for an early reconciliation. But this time, I didn’t even have the urge to look at his social media. Even when Joyce casually mentioned that Finn had been asking her about me, I didn’t care. What surprised me more was that Finn actually started calling me. I repeatedly declined his calls, a move so cold that even Joyce, who was getting a facial with me, noticed. “Is it true what they say? The more you pull away, the harder they chase?” Joyce joked, and I playfully kicked her leg. After our spa session, we sat in a café sipping tea. Joyce sighed softly. “You know, in the beginning, Finn really did treat you well.” My mind drifted back to the past. I met Finn when I was a student at Berkeley. He was eight years older than me, a rising star in the business world whom my father highly respected. When my parents moved to Europe, they asked him to look after me. Back then, the powerful Silicon Valley investor had spoiled me rotten. When I sprained my ankle during a football game, he ran down from the stands and carried me to the clinic in front of everyone. When I was crying in the library, overwhelmed by exams and worrying about my mother’s surgery, he found me and held me until I calmed down. When I bought a cheap, sketchy used car to save money and it broke down on the highway, he not only got me a full refund but made sure the shady dealer faced legal consequences. I couldn’t even point to the exact moment I fell in love with the man who protected me like a precious girl. I had openly showed him my devotion. Finn, used to pampering me, didn’t realize my feelings until I finally confessed to him. His face had turned solemn, ending in a deep sigh. “Nevaeh needs me. She can’t handle me being in a relationship.” That was the night I first learned about Nevaeh’s existence. His parents’ legally adopted daughter. The sister who “needed” him. That failed confession marked the beginning of nine years of agonizing entanglement. It wasn’t until Nevaeh went abroad for therapy that I naively confessed a second time. He answered me with a kiss, binding himself to me with a promise of a real relationship. But when Nevaeh returned and found out we were officially together, she had a complete breakdown. And Finn broke up with me for the first time. By the time the cycle of breaking up, getting back together, and breaking up again became routine, I had stopped hating Nevaeh. I started hating Finn. What did he think I was? A convenient comfort he could summon and discard whenever he pleased? If he didn’t love me, why did he keep coming back? I should have realized much earlier that our relationship was just a twisted ritual. It was his way of proving to Nevaeh, and to himself: *“I tried to love someone else, but in the end, I still belong to you.”* Snapping out of my thoughts, I cut off Joyce’s rambling. I looked down at my phone. Tomorrow, I was leaving. A sense of excitement washed over me. Let the title of “ex-girlfriend” exist for just another twenty-four hours. After that, we would be nothing but strangers. *** ###
To avoid any drama from Finn, I checked into a luxury hotel downtown for my final night. I didn’t expect Nevaeh to find me first. My phone buzzed with an incoming photo. I opened it. It was a photo of Finn and Nevaeh lying in his bed. She was wearing his button-down shirt, curled up in his chest. He was asleep, his arm naturally draped over her waist. The background was the familiar headboard of his bedroom. Then, my phone rang. Her voice was dripping with smugness. “See this, Chloe?” she said, her voice filled with triumph. “This is how we really are. You were nothing but a substitute.” I took a deep breath. After years of putting up with her games, I couldn’t believe she still thought she could hurt me with this. “Nevaeh, if you have nothing intelligent to say, keep your mouth shut.” I didn’t hold back. I was done playing the victim. “I don’t know what cheap tricks you used to get that photo, but congratulations, you win this round.” Nevaeh ignored my sarcasm, her tone suddenly dropping into frustration. “Finn broke up with you nine times just to use you as my replacement. I’m the one he loves.” My heart twinged slightly. Yes, I knew that. “But so what? Whenever I need him, he comes running back. I thought this time would be the same, but…” She paused, revealing something I had been actively trying to ignore. “But he’s been fighting with me constantly this time. He said we can’t keep doing this, that I’m just his sister. You, the little substitute, actually managed to crawl into his heart.” I didn’t buy her words, but I found it hilarious that she was actually feeling insecure. I mocked her, “So, are you scared now?” Nevaeh suddenly let out a sharp, arrogant laugh. “Scared? Chloe, are you blind? Even if he hesitates, he can never say no to me. I asked him to marry me. Want to guess if he said yes?” I sighed and hung up the phone. I always knew Nevaeh’s place in Finn’s heart. The year he carried me out of the stadium, I saw Nevaeh’s name tattooed on the inside of his wrist. The year he comforted me, he was busy texting Nevaeh to calm her down. The year he ruined that used car dealership for me, he used the family trust fund that he shared with Nevaeh. He had consumed my entire youth. But Nevaeh was a shadow he could never escape. That night, knowing Finn wouldn’t call, I still kept my eyes on my phone. I sat on the hotel sofa, staring at the screen all night. Today was supposed to be our tenth reconciliation. Instead, I was leaving. At 7:00 AM, I headed to the airport and deleted all of his social media accounts. At 8:00 AM, after passing through security, I blocked his number. At 9:00 AM, I boarded the plane. As I was deleting every photo and trace of him from my phone, including that pathetic photo from Nevaeh, my phone rang. It was Joyce. I answered. But instead of Joyce, Finn’s panicked, shaky voice came through the receiver, sounding close to tears. “Chloe, where are you?”
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