He added indifferently, “Guess someone’s gotten a little too high on their pedestal. If you had better time management, would this have happened?”
With that, he led Anna inside the building.
Exhausted, I picked up the scattered contracts and returned to my office.
Later that evening, Ethan sent me a cupcake. It was one of the ones he bought for Anna this morning.
It was dragon-fruit flavored, probably because Anna did not like it and he was giving me the leftovers. He did not even know I was allergic to dragon fruit.
As Ethan feigned concern, I looked at him one last time and asked, “It’s been seven years. Just once, have you ever thought about marrying me and taking responsibility?”
He visibly panicked. Trying to dodge the question, he stammered, “Didn’t I say I’d give you the grandest wedding once I earned enough money? I’ve turned you down all these years for your own good.”
“Proposals are something we men should do,” he added, his voice shaky as he avoided my gaze.
I stared at him and silently ended our seven-year relationship in my heart.
I got up, packed my things, and ignored Ethan’s rising nervousness.
At home, I began preparing to leave for my hometown.
Just as I zipped my suitcase, Ethan came back. Seeing my luggage, he rushed over with his face twisted in anger.
“What the hell are you doing now?” he snapped. “Is this about marriage again? You’re leaving just because I won’t marry you? Don’t you understand my difficulties?”
He yanked off his suit jacket and threw it onto a chair to show how furious he was. However, his strength was off, and a stack of explicit photos of him and Anna tumbled out of the pocket.
I looked at the pictures with a calm expression. Ethan, thinking I was jealous, scrambled to pick them up and muttered nervously, “She’s under a lot of pressure as my secretary. I was just helping her relax so she could work better.”
What a joke.
I thought back to all those years ago when I dropped out of school, gave up on grad school, and hid the truth from my family to help him start his business.
From selling products on the street to building connections and securing resources, I had pushed him step by step to where he got to.
Alas, I had never once heard a word of understanding or gratitude from him.
Tears pricked my eyes, and Ethan, feeling guilty, reached out to comfort me. I shoved his hand away in disgust.
Sensing how serious I was this time, he reluctantly caved. “Fine. Next Wednesday, I’ll go take wedding photos with you! But just the photos, okay? I’ll plan the actual wedding carefully and marry you as soon as I earn enough money. That’s fair, right?”
I paused at the door, curled my lips into a smile, and replied softly, “Okay.”
On Wednesday, I packed my bags early.
I threw away everything tied to Ethan West and placed the wedding invitation, one addressed to me and a stranger, on the most visible part of the table.
Next to it, I laid out the contract I found showing he had been financially supporting Anna.
Then I turned off my phone, left everything behind, and boarded a plane back home without looking back.
Ethan could not reach me.
Enraged, he barged into the apartment only to find the invitation and the contract laid out for him.
He froze. His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor, completely defeated.
