I loved him for exactly ten years. When I saw yet another girl walk into his bedroom, I took a hard drag of my cigarette, dropped it on the floor, crushed it out, and barged right in. They were pressed tightly together, kissing like there was no tomorrow. The girl was visibly startled, shrinking into his chest like a frightened little bird. I grabbed her clothes, threw them at her, and lunged for her hair. "Get out!" "Get out!" I said it to the girl. He said it to me. With bloodshot eyes, I started unbuttoning my own shirt. Whatever she had, I had too. Why was I the only one who wasn't good enough? He grabbed my hands, pinning them down. "Stop throwing a tantrum." "Who's throwing a tantrum?! How many times have you even met her!" The girl’s face went completely pale. His handsome brows furrowed tightly together. "Chloe, I see you as a sister." It was always the same sentence. Ethan, can't you come up with something new? I was shaking with anger. I even let out a bitter laugh. "Sister? Do you want to go get a DNA test? We have no blood relation! What the hell do you mean, sister? Who the fuck wants to be your sister!" Ethan’s face turned as dark as thunder. "What exactly are you trying to do?" I stared dead into his eyes, enunciating every single word. "What am I trying to do? Don't you already know?" He didn't say a word. Like picking up a stray kitten, he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and literally tossed me out of the room. The second the door slammed shut, the tears started falling. I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Ethan! I'm never going to bother you again! Don't you fucking regret this!" Of course he wouldn't regret it. Because every time we fought, I would say the exact same thing, and then I would eventually crawl right back to him. It was like the boy who cried wolf. He wasn't scared at all. He wasn't afraid that I would actually leave him. I had nowhere else to go. No family, no home. I only had Ethan. He was all I had. How could I possibly leave? Damn it. I'm so pathetic. My hand moved on its own, opening our text thread. I scrolled all the way up, re-reading our message history. Honestly... He treated me really well. He protected me, cared for me, and was always giving me money. Sigh. If I have to be a sister, then fine, I'll be a sister. I should just go back. At least I'd get to see him every day. My finger slipped, accidentally tapping on his profile picture. ... His Instagram story had updated. It was a selfie of that girl. With only two words as the caption: My girlfriend. Fuck. They were Instagram official. Go back? Go back my ass. I checked my bank app. Okay, I still had a little over three thousand dollars. Steeling my resolve, I blocked Ethan's number and all his socials. This time, I was dead serious. It wasn't as hard as I thought. I found a job pretty quickly. It was at a local diner—free meals and a small room out back included. Except the manager’s greasy eyes were always wandering over my body. Except the guys buying coffee were always "accidentally" brushing my hands. Except the other waitresses were always subtly calling me a slut behind my back. Except... I missed him. Just a tiny, tiny bit. Everything else was fine. See? I had plenty of charm. Lots of people liked me. Why wouldn't he? But he just didn't. Sigh. I missed him again. I frustratedly yanked at my own hair, feeling like I was going crazy. "Hey, newbie!" Someone smacked my shoulder. It was one of the other waitresses, Ashley. "Table four needs you." I raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you go?" She scoffed. "I just painted my nails. They aren't dry yet." She shoved her hands in my face. Ten pastel-pink, glittery acrylics. Tsk. Pretty. I grabbed a coarse paper towel, ignored her screeching, pinched her hand, and swiped hard across her wet nails. "There. Now they're dry." I turned and walked to the restroom. When I came out, the manager was blocking my way. Pushing out his pig-like belly, he pointed a stubby finger at my nose and yelled, "Ever since I hired you, you've been nothing but trouble! Bullying your coworkers!" "Excuse me?" "Don't think I didn't see you ruin Ashley's nails. We have security cameras. If you don't confess, I'll fire you right now with no pay!" I raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall. "So, what do you want?" "Ahem. Ashley is taking the rest of the day off for emotional distress. Your wages for the week will go to her." I immediately burst out laughing. "And if I say no?" His face flushed a bright, angry red. He stuttered, "Of course, if you're willing to... be with me, you have nothing to worry about. From now on, in this diner, I'm the boss, and you'll be my number two. Nobody will dare say a word to you." He reached out to put his arm around my shoulder. I smacked his hand away, speaking lightly. "Is the water in your brain used to water the giant tree of audacity growing in your heart?" "What?" I rolled my eyes hard. "I feel like insulting someone today, but I really don't want to waste it on you." "What the hell does that mean?" Watching the fat jiggle on his face made my stomach churn. I untied my apron and threw it right at his head. "It means you're fired." Yeah, his height was just about perfect for that. "You... you... you're insulting me!!!" "I just told you, I wanted to insult someone, but I didn't want it to be you. Do you not speak English?" I pulled out my phone and pulled up my Venmo QR code. "Pay me what you owe me." He ripped the apron off his head, completely losing his temper, and cursed, "You little bitch, you still want your paycheck? Keep dreaming!" I rolled up my sleeves, fully prepared to beat him to a pulp. Suddenly, a very pleasant male voice interrupted: "According to federal and state labor laws, wages must be paid regularly to the employee. You cannot unlawfully withhold or refuse to issue a final paycheck... What you just did is a labor violation." I looked up. It was a tall, handsome guy, though a bit on the skinny side. "Oh, I see! You brought backup!" The fat manager lunged forward and shoved the guy, almost knocking him to the floor. ... Wow, he is weak. Are you sure you're here to help? I grabbed the manager by the collar, practically hoisted his entire body up, slammed him against the wall, spat on the floor, and looked at him with a deadpan expression. "I said, pay me." Then I kneed him hard in the stomach. He gasped in pain and started screaming bloody murder. I snorted, tossed him to the floor, and kicked him a couple more times for good measure. "Relax, I'm not going to murder you. Just roughing you up a bit." In the end, of course, he paid me. Just as I was about to walk out, someone tugged at my sleeve. Thinking it was the manager again, I spun around ready to throw hands. But when I saw the face, I stopped. It was the guy who had just recited the labor laws. "Chloe..." Damn. He was just as handsome as Ethan. Wait. Did he know my name??? The man sitting across from me lowered his gaze, took a sip of his tea, and looked perfectly calm. But his flushed ears completely betrayed his inner emotions, proving he wasn't nearly as composed as he looked. I mimicked him, looking down and taking a sip of my tea. Ugh. "Chloe, what do you think?" "Huh? Oh, the tea tastes awful." "..." His name was Liam. He was speaking to me in the gentlest, most soothing tone. He had clean, elegant features and incredibly kind eyes. "I just opened my own law firm. If you're willing, you can come work for me." "Earlier... I figured you might be in need of a job." I nodded. I did need one, but... "A law firm? Do I have to read a lot of books?" He let out a soft laugh, his eyes crinkling into crescent moons. "No, you can just do what you're good at." I scratched my head, racking my brain for half a minute before blurting out: "Maybe... possibly... perhaps... I could... help you collect debts?" "..." "..." We just stared at each other in total confusion. "A-choo!" My sneeze broke the silence. It was freezing outside. He immediately took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. I thanked him and didn't refuse. Are you kidding me? I had no parents, and now I didn't even have Ethan. If I got sick, who was going to take care of me? Ethan... I still had a lot of clothes at his place. It was time to go get them. Sigh. If only I was rich, I could just buy whatever I wanted. I lowered my head. "Um... I don't really have a place to stay." Liam looked at me, his gaze suddenly filled with something I couldn't quite read. He made a quick phone call. Then he told me he had just rented an apartment for me, right above his firm. That fast??? Then he drove me to Target to buy bedsheets and blankets. Then to the grocery store for a mountain of daily essentials. Then pots, pans, and plates. Finally, he took me out for hot pot. I... Besides Ethan, no one in this world had ever been this good to me. I secretly wiped away a tear, making sure he didn't see. On the ninth day after leaving, I finally went back. To get my clothes. Terrified of running into Ethan, I purposely chose 10:00 AM. Normally, he was out at the garage or getting breakfast at this time. Just as I was frantically shoving clothes into a duffel bag... Click. The front door unlocked. I dove straight into the walk-in closet and pulled the door shut. Ugh. I wanted to slap myself. Why the hell was I hiding? Walking out now would be a million times more awkward. "Chloe?" That painfully familiar voice. "Stop hiding. Come out." Was he bluffing? Did I look that stupid? I held my breath until my face turned purple. Suddenly, a blinding light hit my eyes. I threw my hands up to block it. "Tsk." Ethan had opened the closet door. He stood in front of me, wearing a black leather jacket. Looking at his sharp, chiseled face and the tiny scar near the corner of his eye, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness. It felt like I had gone back in time, to years ago. It felt like a lifetime away. "Where have you been these past few days?" He reached out and pulled me back to reality. "None of your business." I slapped his hand away and used the closet shelf to pull myself up. He didn't push it. He just sat on the edge of the bed, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "When you're done throwing your tantrum, come home." Furious, I snatched the cigarette from his hand, threw it on the floor, and ground it into the hardwood with my boot. "I am an adult. I'm not throwing a tantrum." Then I let out a cold laugh. "Besides, what home? I don't have a home." His face instantly turned completely livid. "Chloe!!" I turned my head away, grabbed my duffel bag, and marched toward the door. He grabbed me hard by the wrist. "Where do you think you're going?" I thrashed wildly, trying to push him off. "I fucking told you, it's none of your business!" He was furious. Every muscle in his body was trembling. He raised his arm, looking like he was about to hit me. My eyes went entirely red. I pointed aggressively at my own head and screamed. "Do it! Hit me! Hit me right here! You're a coward if you don't! Hit me! Do it right now!" His eyes were as red as a rabbit's. Breathing heavily, he paced around the room like a caged animal. "Fine! You're so grown up now! So independent! Your wings are so strong you won't even listen to me anymore! Who the fuck taught you to be like this?!" I tilted my chin up and stared him down, stubbornly spitting out a single word: "You!!!" That shut him up completely. He pointed a shaking finger at my nose but couldn't force a single word out. I glared at him and grabbed my bag again. He finally backed down, his gaze turning dark and heavy. "I've told you a million times, the feelings between us aren't romantic." "I know what you mean. You just don't like me." Damn it, my heart hurt so much. We had this exact same fight like clockwork, almost once a month. I really was cheap and stupid. Ethan's voice went hoarse, trying to coax me. "You're still young. You can't tell the difference between—" I puffed my chest out defensively. "I'm not young!" "..." Sigh. Besides cheap and stupid, I was also shameless. I had tried every trick in the book. I had dragged my own pride through the mud, but it didn't matter. He just refused to love me. Ethan reached out and patted my head. "You just don't want someone else to take me away. But the truth is, you don't actually have romantic feelings for me." My hair practically stood on end. "Bullshit! Do you think I'm mentally handicapped?!" "Close enough." "..." I really wanted to punch him. Without looking back, I dragged my bag to the front door. His voice came out cold behind me. "If you walk out that door, don't ever come back." My footsteps faltered, my throat tightening up. "You have a girlfriend now. It's not appropriate for me to live here." "She won't mind. You're my sister." Like a lit stick of dynamite, I whipped around and exploded. "I'm not your fucking sister!!!" It was past 8:00 PM when I finally got back to my new apartment. I had just gotten out of the shower and was towel-drying my hair when I got a text from Liam. "Chloe, are you back? Do you want to come down and get something to eat?" I typed out "Yes" and hit send. But then he immediately unsent his previous message. Was he playing games with me? I just called him directly. His voice was incredibly gentle. "I was afraid of bothering you. It's late, so it probably isn't appropriate to ask you out right now." I was confused.
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