Book3Chapter4.
The flight couldn’t be long enough. Ethan’s messages remained unanswered, his calls went straight to voicemail. He probably thought I was just throwing at tantrum, waiting for him to come and coax me back. Like I always did.
After landing, I blocked him on everything. My phone needed to be an Ethan–free
zone.
LA was a whirlwind. I spent a week exploring, trying to piece my shattered heart back together. It was time to face the music
I texted my best friend, Maya, letting her know when my flight landed. But as I walked through arrivals, I saw him. Ethan.
His face hardened when he saw me. “There you are! Do you have any idea what you put me through? Vanishing like that, no explanation. Do you even want to get married?”
Before, those words would’ve sent me scrambling back into his arms. The thought of life without him, the fear of losing him, it was crippling. But not anymore.
“You’re right, Ethan,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “I don’t want to get married. To you, that is. We’re done.”
Book3 Chapter5.
“What are you talking about, Anya?” Ethan’s voice was sharp, his hand reaching for mine, stopping just short of touching me. “You run off, miss our wedding, and now this? Grow up, Anyal”
Grow up? I’d spent the last week growing a spine. I’d faced my pain, made my decision. And now I was the childish one?
“Ethan, I mean it. We. Are. Over.”
I tried to sidestep him, but he blocked my path. For the first time in eight years, I stood my ground.
“Don’t you dare walk away when I’m talking to you!” he snapped. “Have you forgotten what happens when you disobey me?”
Disobey? Was that what our relationship had been reduced to? For eight years, I’d been the one to back down, to compromise, to even give up on the idea of a legal marriage. And for what? So he could marry someone else behind my back?
“Did I ask you to come here?” I shot back, my voice laced with a newfound confidence. “It’s over, Ethan. I’m not doing this to get back at you, to throw a tantrum. I’m done.”
His face flushed, and I could practically see the vein throbbing in his forehead. “Are you sure you want to do this, Anya?” he hissed.
“I’m sure,” I said, meeting his gaze head–on. “Goodbye, Ethan.”
And with that, I walked away, leaving behind the shattered remnants of eight years of my life.
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Book3Chapter6.
It was over. At least, it should’ve been. But Ethan wouldn’t let it go. He called, he texted, he even went to our friends and family, spinning tales of my unreasonable behavior, of how distraught he was, how he’d begged me to reconsider. According to him, I was the villain, the one throwing away years of love for some unknown
reason.
Friends and family, blinded by his one–sided story, bombarded me with messages, accusing me of being ungrateful, of letting his love go to my head. “He’s a good man, Anya,” they said. “Don’t throw it all away.” Even my own parents, usually my rock, urged me to reconsider.
I couldn’t tell them the truth, not yet. I needed to find a way to do it without dragging everyone through the mud. But Ethan’s silence was deafening, and his manipulations were starting to work.
tore into
So, I decided to take my own hands.
I messaged Chloe, asking to meet. She’d recently opened a boutique jewelry studio, so I played the part, pretending I needed her to design my wedding rings.
She arrived at the cafe, her face lighting up when she saw me. “Anya? Wow, it’s been so long!”
I was surprised she remembered me. Apparently, Ethan hadn’t erased me from their narrative completely. “Yeah, it’s me,” I said, forcing a smile. “Getting hitched soon, and I heard great things about your studio.”
“That’s… that’s great,” she stammered, her eyes darting nervously. “So, it was you who called?”
I nodded, keeping my tone light. “Yep, all me. Ethan’s swamped with work, as usual.”
Book Chapters,
“Wow, even for this?” she asked, concern flickering in her eyes.
I didn’t want to dwell on it. “So, about the rings…” I said, skillfully changing the subject. “And congratulations on your wedding, by the way! Sorry I missed it, heard it through the grapevine.”
She blushed, her smile strained. “Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Things were hectic, must’ve slipped my mind to tell you.”
She studied me for a moment, then a sly smile played on her lips. “You know, if I were you, I’d be worried. A man who can’t even make time to choose rings… maybe he’s not as invested as you think.”
Her words stung, but I couldn’t let her see that. I was the other woman in this twisted love triangle, after all.
“Funny you should say that,” I sighed dramatically. “We actually broke up briefly because of it. But he’s been begging me to take him back, even got our families involved.” I put on my most convincing act, my voice trembling with faux uncertainty. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do anymore.”
The jealousy was almost tangible. “Look,” she said, leaning closer, “as someone who’s been there, actions speak louder than words. My ex, he waited for me for years. When I got back, he proposed right away, said he couldn’t live without me. He drops everything when I need him.”
I listened as she described Ethan, the Ethan I thought I knew, the Ethan who’d apparently been living a double life this whole time. The Ethan who, according to Chloe, worshipped the ground she walked on.
Eight years, I thought bitterly. Eight years I spent with him, and yet, it felt like I never truly knew him at all.
Just then, the cafe door opened, and a familiar figure walked in. Ethan, looking flustered and out of breath.
BookChapter
“There he is now!” I called out, waving.
Chloe turned, her smile fading as she saw him.
