On New Year’s Eve, I used my boyfriend’s phone to take some photos and send them to myself. That was when I saw it. The pinned chat at the very top of his Snapchat wasn’t me. It was his ex-girlfriend. I tapped into it. The most recent message was sent just moments ago. He had transferred her exactly $5,200. She had accepted the money without saying a single word. Ethan leaned over, pulling me to watch the fireworks outside, but his face instantly paled when he saw his phone screen. He panicked and quickly tried to explain, "Elena, don't get the wrong idea... She just needed money for an emergency." I silently shook off his hand, kept my head down, and continued scrolling through their chat history. "Valentine's Day: $9,999." "Her Birthday: $5,200." "National Girlfriend Day: $2,099." ... By the time I reached the end, tears were streaming down my face, but I was laughing. We had been together for five years. And only now did I realize the truth. My supposedly unromantic, old-fashioned boyfriend had been giving his ex-girlfriend all the romance and special treatment I had spent years begging for.
My fingertips hovered over the screen. I stared at Ethan’s pinned contact on Snapchat for a long time. The nickname was her name: Vivian. But they had broken up five years ago. Ethan stiffened beside me, then spoke in a low voice: "She said she had an emergency, so I just lent it to her..." Clutching the phone, I looked up to meet his eyes. "What kind of emergency requires you to send exactly $5,200?" "Don't tell me you forgot what those numbers mean to us, Ethan." He didn't answer. I bit my lip, forcing myself to stay calm. With trembling hands, I tapped on the chat. There were only simple, brief greetings between them. They barely talked. But every once in a while, Ethan would send her money. He even thoughtfully added notes for each holiday. He had never missed a single one. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart. It hurt so much I could barely breathe. Ethan and I had been together for five years. He always told me he hated celebrating holidays. He didn't even bother giving me any sense of romance on our anniversaries. I thought he was just a simple, unromantic guy, so I never pushed him. But looking at his consistent holiday wishes and the countless transfers to her... A cold shiver ran down my spine. "Ethan, if you never let her go, why did you start dating me?" He stared at me and denied it firmly. "No." "There's really nothing between us anymore." Such a pathetic lie. I didn't know who he was trying to convince. I ignored his excuse and asked again, "Then tell me, why did you send her that money?" Again, he remained silent. The chat history went back to 2018. We started dating in August that year. They had added each other back on Snapchat in September and started talking. All the romance and effort he never gave me... Was just their daily routine. Seeing my silence, he grabbed my hand. "Elena, you're the one I love now." "As for her, it's just guilt." "I messed up when we broke up, and I promised I'd make it up to her by giving her the special treatment she wanted." I froze. "All this time... why did you lie to me?" "I was just afraid you'd overthink things..." My nails dug into my palms, sending a sharp, stinging pain through me. "Ethan, if you didn't do anything wrong, why would you worry about me overthinking?" "What is really going on between you two?" Even though we were standing face-to-face, he only offered silence. I let out a self-deprecating laugh, turned around, and walked away. But Ethan grabbed me from behind. "She and I are ancient history. Please trust me, okay?" "You know you're the only one in my heart." I didn't know, and I didn't want to know anymore. My eyes burned with tears. Our highly anticipated New Year’s Eve ended in absolute misery. My mind was a mess. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to get out of there. But before I could take two steps, my vision began to blur and darken. Before I could process what was happening, Everything went black, and I collapsed. The last thing I heard was Ethan’s panicked voice. Then, nothing. #### Chapter
When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed. I had an IV drip in my arm. The nurse had just finished changing my IV bag. Seeing me awake, she smiled kindly. "You went into anaphylactic shock from eating peanuts. Good thing your boyfriend got you to the hospital in time." I felt dazed. No wonder I had felt so sick earlier. I thought I was just disgusted by Ethan. I didn't expect it to be an actual allergic reaction. And it was because of the takeout Ethan had bought me. How ironic. He couldn't even remember my peanut allergy. Yet, he remembered to send his ex money on every single holiday to "make up" for his mistakes. Just then, Ethan pushed the door open and walked in. He was holding my discharge papers and the hospital bill. He rushed over, his face full of concern. "You're finally awake! How are you feeling? Any discomfort?" "I'm so sorry, Elena. It was my fault. I forgot to check if the food had peanuts in it." His hand wrapped around mine, familiar and warm. But I couldn't find a single trace of affection for him anymore. I pulled my hand away, ignoring him. Once the nurse left, only the two of us remained in the room. We used to talk about everything, but now there was only suffocating silence. Eventually, he broke it. "I know you're mad at me, but I can explain." I closed my eyes, my throat tight. "What is there left to explain?" He placed his phone in front of me. "Look, other than the money transfers and holiday wishes, we never talk about anything else. I've never crossed the line." I stared at him quietly. He was right. They didn't have any flirty or physical interactions. But that didn't mean they were innocent. Sending money with those specific romantic numbers is something only couples do. Yet, he had never put that much effort into me. In all our years of dating, I had never asked him for anything. The only time we ever talked about romance was during a game of truth or dare with friends. Back then, he had frowned and said it was pointless. To ease the tension, I had laughed it off and said I didn't care about those things either. I used to convince myself that there was no need to force him. But in the end, I was the joke. I stared at his Snapchat screen and suddenly asked, "Is your username related to her too?" Ethan froze. I didn't wait for his answer and kept going: "Your username, your phone wallpaper, your social media accounts, even your gaming gamertag... they're all customized for her, aren't they?" He looked down, his voice barely audible: "I just got used to them. I was too lazy to change them." I suddenly burst out laughing. "Too lazy?" "Ethan, I remember asking you more than once to change our wallpapers to a photo of us." "But you refused every time, saying it was childish and unnecessary." Ethan’s face went completely pale. "I thought those were just minor things..." My mouth opened, but no words came out. A deep sense of helplessness washed over me. To him, I was always just a "minor thing." So what did I actually mean to him? Just a convenient, replaceable substitute? Suddenly, I lost all energy to argue with him. "Just leave. I want to rest." He tried to say more. "Elena, I really only sent her money because of our agreement..." But I didn't want to hear another word. I grabbed the IV line in my hand and threatened him in a raspy voice, "If you don't leave, I'll walk out myself!" Seeing me about to rip the needle out, he panicked and stopped me. "Don't do anything reckless! I'm leaving. Get some rest. I'll come back to see you tomorrow." I turned my head away, refusing to look at him. Only when the room fell completely quiet did I let go of the IV line, letting my tears flow freely. Ethan was still hiding something from me. I had to find out the truth myself. #### Chapter
Ethan and I met because of a bag-snatching incident. After we left the police station, I didn't think there would be any follow-up. But as fate would have it, we lived in the same apartment complex. So, we started running into each other, and chatting naturally followed. Later, he pursued me for a long time. He was gentle and caring, but completely lacked a romantic bone. Aside from taking me out to dinner and movies, he had never even bought me a single flower. When I complained to my best friend, Chloe, she said he was just one of those old-fashioned, unromantic guys. Boring, but loyal and dedicated. The important thing was that he was willing to spend money on me. So, I agreed to be his girlfriend. Back then, he didn't have a girlfriend. Only later did I accidentally find out he had an ex. I used to think that was all in his past. I didn't feel the need to dig into it. But now, it seemed I had overestimated him. I hired a private investigator to look into their past. Within a day, the PI sent me a massive digital file. It was packed with details of their past. I opened the folder, and the first thing I saw was a photo of Ethan. He was wearing a shirt I bought him, holding his ex-girlfriend’s hand. This was taken right after he and I had made our relationship official. I stared at it, completely numb. Which meant he hadn't even cut ties with her when he started dating me. He had lied to me from the very beginning. Suddenly, a thought struck me. With trembling fingers, I clicked on a video file. The lighting in the VIP room of the bar was dim. But I could still make out the faces. Then, Ethan’s cold, detached voice played. "I used to love you, but I don't anymore." "Let's just part ways amicably. Stop clinging to me." The silence in the room was deafening. Only the sound of his ex crying hysterically and pulling at his arm could be heard, along with a few awkward consolations from their friends. But Ethan remained completely unmoved, only asking impatiently: "What exactly do I have to do for you to agree to this breakup?" "You wronged me, and now you're abandoning me. I want compensation." "We were together for five years. Until you find someone you truly love, I want you to keep giving me the special treatment and gifts I deserve. Then we'll be even." Ethan was silent for a moment before agreeing. "Fine. But on one condition: you cannot interfere with my life." "Other than that, we have nothing to do with each other." By the end of the video, I found the whole thing ridiculously absurd. So, the person he had "rebounded" with was me. Without my knowledge, I had been turned into the homewrecker who ruined their relationship. The video kept playing. I saw many familiar faces. They were all friends Ethan had introduced me to. They had all been there that night. They all knew about the agreement between Ethan and his ex. Yet, throughout all our hangouts and parties, not a single one of them had ever mentioned it to me. Everyone knew. I was the only one kept in the dark. #### Chapter
The next morning, Ethan showed up at the hospital again. He smoothly laid out the food containers on the table. There was also a fresh bouquet of roses. "You must be hungry. I made this at home. They're all your favorites. You're still weak, so you need to eat well." Seeing my gaze linger on the flowers, he said softly: "I didn't know you liked these things. I thought you were different from other girls and didn't care about romance..." I smiled faintly. To be fair, Ethan had been good to me during our relationship. He remembered all my preferences, and when I was sick, he would stay by my side without leaving. His lack of romance was his only flaw, but in my eyes, it had been a charming quirk. If he didn't know how to be romantic, I could be the one to do it. But it turned out he had just played me for a fool. It wasn't that he didn't know how to be romantic—he just didn't want to be romantic with me! Holding back my tears, I asked, "How did you and your ex actually break up? Was I the other woman?" Hearing this, he panicked and denied it. "Of course not..." I looked into his eyes, speaking slowly and clearly. "Ethan, are you going to keep lying to me?" "I'm giving you one last chance." He finally set down his utensils and looked up at me. "Listen to me, it's really not what you think." "We were just in a gray area back then. We weren't officially together, so you weren't the other woman. She and I had already lost feelings for each other." I laughed bitterly, finding it incredibly ironic. "But had you actually broken up with her back then?" He opened his mouth, but once again, fell silent. I pulled out the photos from my bag and threw them at him. My voice was as calm as if I were talking about someone else's life. "Why didn't you answer my calls the night I got sick?" "Were you with her?" His pupils contracted sharply. The photo showed them checking into a hotel lobby. And they had booked only one room. Ethan shook his head in a frantic panic. "Let me explain! She was threatening suicide that night. I went to check on her out of pity." "But absolutely nothing happened between us that night, I swear..." Is that so? I looked at him and smiled mockingly. "Did you know? That was the night I was rushed to the ER. I almost didn't make it." "And where were you? You were with her, while lying to me that you were on a business trip." His lips trembled, unable to utter a single word. My tears finally spilled over, rolling down my cheeks. Ethan frantically grabbed some tissues to wipe them away. "I'm sorry, Elena. It's all my fault." "I love you so much. I want to be with you forever." "I was just so afraid you'd leave me if you found out, so I kept it from you..." The love in his eyes didn't look fake. But that only made it hurt more. I already knew the answer. Yet, a tiny, foolish part of me still held onto a sliver of hope. "If I ask you to cut off all contact with her right now, can you do it?" Ethan looked conflicted, explaining carefully: "Elena, this is a debt I owe her. I can't break my word." "Can you just give me another six months? It's only six months until the five-year mark. Once the agreement is fulfilled, we will never speak again." "Didn't you say you wanted a beach wedding? We can get married then, okay?" I looked at him, finding it hilarious, yet my heart felt completely cold. "Ethan, that's a debt *you* owe her. It has absolutely nothing to do with me." His face lost all color. He wanted to say something, but realized he had no defense. He could only stare at me in silence. My hands shook slightly, but my voice was firm and clear: "Ethan, let's break up."
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