Chapter 2

I went back to the office and turned in my resignation.

My boss sighed. "You've been with me since you graduated. It's really a shame to see you leave."

I forced a bitter smile. "I only stayed in this city because of my relationship. Now that's gone, I don't have any reason to stick around."

My boss paused, thinking it over.

"How about a position that lets you travel all over the country? Would you be up for that?" he said.

"That sounds perfect. Just what I wanted," I replied.

My boss printed out two contracts for me.

I signed right away, no hesitation.

"Your flight's in three days," he said.

When I got home, I moved my pillow and blanket into the spare room.

From then on, we started living apart for real.

That night, Claire still hadn't come home when Ryan called.

I figured he was just trying to provoke me, so I hit record.

Ryan said, "Ethan, Claire spent the whole day with me today.

"Glad you finally grew a spine and dumped her. We've done everything you can imagine, way before you ever showed up.

"I was gone for a few years, and you just slipped in while I was away. Now I'm back, so hand her over."

I'd braced myself for this, but I was still pissed. "So you're not her guy bestie at all. You're her ex?"

"If I said we were just besties, would that make you let your guard down?" he answered.

So Claire had been lying to me all along. My hands were shaking with rage.

"Bestie, ex, whatever, doesn't matter. The point is, she's mine now. Oh, and you can stop planning that wedding. I'll take care of the rest." Then he let out this crazy, mocking laugh.

Right then, I felt utterly humiliated.

Just as I hung up, Claire walked in.

She was putting on a brave face, but I could see right through her. She was feeling guilty.

"Ethan, what's your deal today? You post that tweet, and now my phone's blowing up.

"I've been explaining myself nonstop, and I'm exhausted from all the talking. What are you even trying to do?" she said.

I kept my voice steady. "Didn't I already tell you? We're done."

She shot me a look, clearly annoyed. "Are you done with this nonsense yet?"

I walked into the study, fired up my computer, and just kept playing the game I'd been in the middle of.

I knew she was here to pick a fight, but honestly, I was done. My heart was dead, no energy left for another argument.

When she saw I wasn't even going to respond, she realized it was like punching air. Her anger had nowhere to go.

She walked into the bedroom, saw my pillow and blanket in the spare room, and her anger shot through the roof.

She screamed, her emotions spiraling out of control.

"Fine, you want to live apart? You can have the apartment. I'm moving out." With that, she slammed the door behind her and left in a fury.

I ripped off my headphones and collapsed onto the desk, feeling completely drained.

So much had happened in such a short time. There was no way I could pretend it didn't hurt.

After all, she was the one I thought I'd spend my life with.

Looking around, the whole place was filled with memories of us.

In the kitchen, we'd cook together, even tried some crazy recipes.

In the living room, we'd snack together, binge-watching shows.

In the study, we'd read books and play games side by side.

On the balcony, we'd sip tea and just talk for hours.

In the bedroom, we'd make love every night.

Every corner of the room held memories of us.

The photo on the wall was almost blinding. Our smiles in that picture were so sweet it almost hurt to look at.

Just a month ago, we'd gone to take those photos.

When the mood was just right, she whispered in my ear, "Ethan, I realize I really do love you. I'll keep my distance from Ryan from now on, and I hope you can be a little more understanding. Let's not fight anymore, okay?"

A warm feeling spread through my chest.

I nodded like crazy and kissed her cheek.

I thought things would finally get better between us.

But I was wrong.

I let out a self-mocking laugh.

I walked over, took down the photo, and pulled out the picture inside.

I snipped it into tiny pieces and tossed them straight into the trash.

Then I grabbed the photo album, pulled out every picture, and tossed them one by one into the fire pit.

I burned three years' worth of memories.

Ryan posted a new tweet.

Ryan: [Thanks for the watch.]

He was wearing my watch in the photo.

I rushed to open my jewelry box.

Sure enough, the watch Claire gave me for our anniversary was gone. That was her gift to me. Now it was just gone.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms.

It was way past midnight, and I just couldn't sleep, kept tossing and turning until I finally gave up and started packing my stuff.

We'd lived together for a year, but I barely had anything here. Everything I owned fit into a single suitcase.

I shoved the suitcase under the bed, ready to bail whenever I needed to.