Chapter 1 After we got back together, I fixed every bad habit that Ethan hated. I stopped checking his location. I stopped the jealous outbursts. I stopped nitpicking the small stuff. Even when I found a tube of lipstick that wasn't mine in the passenger seat, I thoughtfully tucked it into the glove compartment for him. But Ethan’s face darkened, and he slammed on the brakes. His brow bone was sharp, his features deep and imposing—the face of a man used to being in charge. But right now, he pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted. "That lipstick belongs to Chloe." "The dinner ran late last night. She drank too much covering for me, and she couldn't drive, so I dropped her off." He looked at me, offering an explanation he usually considered beneath him. "I've told you a thousand times. She’s my godfather’s daughter. I have to look out for her. That’s it. Past, present, future—there is nothing between us." I remained silent. A crack appeared in his usually composed mask. A hint of helplessness I’d never seen before surfaced. "What do I have to do to make you believe me?" I spoke calmly. "Nothing. I believe you. And I’m not mad." It was like punching cotton. Ethan looked blank for a second. "...Then why haven't you said a word the whole ride?" I checked my watch, calculating the time to get to the airport. I offered a deflective excuse. "You said before you don't like hearing 'low-value information'." "I'm going to be late for work. Why don't you just drop me off at this intersection?" I was focused on the traffic, completely missing the way Ethan’s face turned ugly. "You always get out at the next light," he said sharply. "This is still a mile from your office." I hadn't thought of that. I was forced to meet his scrutinizing gaze. "It’s early morning. If you aren't going to the office, where are you going?" Just as suspicion began to cloud his eyes... Ring-ring! A custom ringtone. It belonged to Chloe. Ethan’s sharp gaze faltered. His eyes shifted, guilty. "It’s a work call. I need to take this." He immediately forgot his suspicion about me and unlocked the doors. "Fine. Get out here then." I nodded and quickly unbuckled my seatbelt. He called out to me. "Don't be so clumsy. Watch where you're going." His voice lowered, taking on a coaxing tone. "I booked that restaurant you've always wanted to try. I promised you before, I’ll never miss another anniversary." "Happy seventh anniversary. See you tonight, Zoe." My hand froze on the door handle. On our last anniversary, he abandoned me for Chloe. It hurt so much back then. Now, remembering it, my heart was a flat line. "Take the call," I said softly. "Don't make people wait." After all, Chloe couldn't wait. And neither could my flight. As for anniversaries... this year, next year, every year... I would be absent. Chapter 2 I finally made it onto the plane. After sitting down, dizziness hit me because I hadn't had time for breakfast. I reached into my pocket out of habit and found three chocolates. Ever since I fainted from low blood sugar a long time ago, Ethan got in the habit of putting chocolates in my pocket every day. The sweetness melted on my tongue, easing the dizziness. But then, a lingering, dense bitterness rose up. Seven years together. How did Ethan and I end up here? In the beginning, I really thought Chloe was just a nepotism hire he was forced to tolerate because of his godfather. That was why Ethan had to keep "business and personal separate" with me at work, while giving her special treatment. When my department head, Rob, made my life hell, nothing happened. But when Rob spoke rudely to Chloe? He was fired immediately. Behind my back, coworkers called Chloe the "Boss Lady." And I was just Ethan’s secret underground girlfriend. I forced myself to understand his predicament. But the special treatment followed us home. Ethan abandoned me time and again for her phone calls. The massive fight happened one night. I saw a photo in a small work group chat. Ethan, who told me he was working overtime, was watching a midnight movie with Chloe. It was The Beloved—the exact movie I had begged Ethan to see with me, only to be ruthlessly rejected. I had tugged on his sleeve, pleading. "Everyone goes to see The Beloved with their beloved! Let's go." Ethan hadn't even lifted his eyelids. "Watching that kind of brain-dead romance is a waste of life." But in the photo, he looked dashing and full of smiles. Not a hint of impatience. The messages in the chat scrolled by fast, blurring before my eyes. When Ethan came home, I asked him in a flat voice, "Was The Beloved good?" A flicker of surprise seemed to pass through his eyes. Or maybe I saw it wrong. He was completely indifferent, expressionless. "Are you stalking me?" My heart felt like it was being smothered by a wet, heavy towel. I couldn't breathe. "Do I need to stalk you? Sweet photos of you two are flying all over the company group chats!" My chest heaved uncontrollably. "Ethan, if you want to break up, just say it. You don't have to lie to me like this!" Ethan’s expression didn't change. He was as calm as an outsider. "If you don't even have basic trust in me, then I have nothing to say. Zoe, I've been busy all day. I don't have the energy to fight with you." No guilt. No explanation. Compared to my pathetic state, he was so composed. He even calmly placed the paper bag in his hand on the table. The words The Beloved printed on the bag were like sharp ice picks, stabbing straight through my heart. The emotions I had suppressed for so long, wrapped in massive grievances, came crashing down on me. Finally, they snapped the last string of my rationality. I grabbed the bag and smashed it onto the floor to vent my anger. It wasn't sealed. Round, handmade chocolates rolled out, scrambling over the floor. They made a series of soft thuds. I didn't even look at them. I just stared at Ethan with red eyes. We locked eyes, a standoff. After a long moment, he slammed the door and left. I stood there like a statue, dazed, until something rolled against my foot. I looked down. Stunned. It was chocolate. The floor was covered in round, handmade chocolates. Chapter 3 I still softened. I wanted to communicate with him properly. But for three whole days, Ethan didn't answer calls and didn't come home. I swallowed my grievance and sent him a message. "It was wrong of me to lose my temper without talking first." "But it's also a fact that you said you were working but went to the movies with her." "Tonight is our sixth anniversary. I'm waiting for you at home." "Can we sit down and talk properly?" I waited from daylight until dark. He didn't come back. Seeing it approach 11 PM, I made up my mind to go to the company to find him. But on the way, I ran into Rob—the department head Ethan fired because of Chloe. He dragged me into the shadows. "Bitch, I don't dare touch the boss's woman, but you think I'm scared to touch you?" Call after call to Ethan’s private number went unanswered. Screams of terrified, hopeless help. If a passerby hadn't come along and scared him off, my injuries wouldn't have been just bruises and a swollen face. When my phone suddenly rang, I screamed, startled like a bird seeing a bow. When I saw the name on the screen, the spine I had forced straight all night collapsed. I almost cried out, surviving a disaster: "Eth—" "Hello?" Chloe’s gentle, innocent voice rang out. "Ethan is in the shower~" "I saw you called a bunch of times." "May I ask who this is and what you want?" It felt like hot coals were shoved down my throat. The flesh was seared, burned rotten. It hurt so much I wanted to take a knife and carve out my vocal cords. Hanging up the phone was such a simple thing, but it seemed to use up all my strength. I limped to the police station to file a report, looking incredibly wretched. When everything was over, the alarm clock pointed to 00:01 the next day. I finally received a call back from Ethan. His tone was still so high and mighty. "Learned your lesson?" I understood instantly. He did it on purpose. Those unanswered calls on our "anniversary" were his punishment for me "not trusting him enough." Tears flowed over my swollen face. Like pouring acid on a wound. When I spoke, my voice was hoarse, like broken bellows. I said, "Ethan, let's break up." The other end was silent for only a second. Ethan sneered. "Fine. Don't regret it." He cut the call without hesitation. He agreed to the breakup without a shred of reluctance. Chapter 4 At first, it was just hard to sleep. I couldn't help but replay every detail of our relationship over and over. I was terrified I had misjudged, that I had wrongly sentenced him to death. I started rereading our chat history obsessively. But the more I looked, the sadder I got. The more resentful I became. I started to hate Ethan. Six years. Six whole years. I hated that he could be so breezy, throwing me away like trash. At 4 AM, I painfully deleted all his accounts. I climbed out of bed and, as if venting, gathered all his things. I stuffed them into big garbage bags and smashed them into the dumpster downstairs. After doing all this, I thought I would feel relief. But it was like plotting to kill a mosquito that had been torturing me, only to find that what splattered out was my own blood. I went to work on time, acting as if nothing happened. But only I knew a huge chunk of my heart had been gouged out alive. That piece used to grow Ethan. Later, it rotted. To survive, I cut out the rotting flesh alive. I forgot that if the wound is too big, a person can't live either. The emotions came back with a vengeance when I saw him at the company general meeting. Ethan was still calm, steady, and composed. He was even more high-spirited. As if losing me hadn't affected him at all. Chloe exchanged glances with him, thinking she was being secretive, her face slightly flushed. I started spending entire nights awake, vomiting whatever I ate. Ethan didn't use social media. So I went crazy stalking Chloe’s accounts. Analyzing every signature and post related to Ethan. Until I fainted from low blood sugar at the company and was sent to the hospital. Ethan deigned to visit me. This was the twenty-ninth day of our breakup. He spun the couple ring on his hand lazily. "Zoe, you've lost weight." My eyes were dull. I opened my mouth numbly. "I'm sorry." Ethan revealed a triumphant, satisfied smile. We got back together.
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