Chapter 3
Ethan naturally pulled out the chair for her and asked her why she had suddenly come over.
Chloe replied, "I'm feeling down. I got into an argument with my roommate."
That afternoon, I had originally made an appointment with Ethan to see the exhibition.
But after hearing Chloe's complaints, Ethan turned to me and said, "Let's go to the exhibition another time. I'll hang out with Chloe for a bit and help her cheer up."
I was stunned for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Okay."
Chloe immediately grabbed Ethan's arm and shot me an apologetic grin, sticking out her tongue.
She said, "Sorry. Mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a bit?"
No one noticed my shame, not even Ethan.
That was just the first time.
After that, these moments kept happening more and more often.
When Chloe had a breakup, she called Ethan sobbing. He took a taxi to her school in the middle of the night to comfort her.
When Chloe wanted to eat the legendary desserts from the west side of the city, Ethan ditched class to stand in line with her.
On Chloe's birthday, Ethan got a group of friends together to throw her a party, handled everything for her, and completely forgot it was also our first anniversary together.
Every time I was unhappy, Ethan always had the same lines for me.
He would say, "She's always been like this. She's like a little sister to me. Don't think too much about it.
"We've been together for so many years. Can't you cut me some slack?
"Iris, why are you being so petty about this?"
Arguments, silent treatments, and making up. It was the same cycle, over and over again.
Every time we fought, I'd see the frustration and exhaustion on his face, and I couldn't help but hold his hand first.
He'd pull me into a hug and say, "Alright, the only one I love is you."
And just like that, things went back to how they always were.
Chloe would still hit him up anytime she felt like it, and Ethan just couldn't refuse her, ever. Whenever I minded, he acted like I was just overreacting.
But tonight, I saw him and Chloe sleeping together at the hotel.
All the lies I'd been feeding myself crumbled.
If he felt annoyed, then I would just leave.
With all my luggage, I found a new hotel to stay in.
I was holding the acceptance letter I'd kept tucked away all this time. Ethan didn't want me to leave him, so even after I got accepted, I never really planned on going.
I just carefully stored it, treating it like a memento.
I was still thinking of our third anniversary, just five days away.
Now, holding my acceptance letter, all I felt was relief.
I was just thankful I hadn't done anything stupid.
After staying at the hotel for three days, it was about to take off tonight.
Before leaving, I went back to my old school to pick up something.
The campus was buzzing with activity, even more crowded than it was during freshman orientation.
Colorful banners fluttered all around the grounds.
It read, "Dawnbreak Band's Graduation Special. The Final Bash Is Tomorrow Night!"
There was a smaller line of text below.
It read, "Special Guest: Chloe Stewart."
People chatted excitedly when they passed by.
They said, "Have you heard? Ethan shelled out his own cash to upgrade all the sound and lights, and even set up a red carpet from the school gate to the auditorium. Plus, he got extra security for the event!"
"That's not all! Did you see those coffee trucks at the entrance? He brought them in to hand out free coffee, just to make the whole thing look even cooler!"
"That's some serious flex! That special guest, Chloe, isn't she his childhood sweetheart? Are they finally making it official?"
"Definitely! They're standing together on the poster. It's basically screaming it. What about Iris? I haven't seen her for a long time."
"Who knows? Maybe they broke up a long time ago. Ethan and Chloe are always together now. Just the other day, they were on a date at that new restaurant, and he was even cutting her steak for her. They were all over each other, it was almost too much to watch!"
"Seriously, hot guys should be with hot girls. I've been sick of Iris for ages!"
The buzz of their gossip filled my ears as I kept my head down and passed by quietly.
Trust Ethan, the golden boy, to turn a simple graduation gig into an extravagant spectacle, just so he could show off his new flame and make it clear who was in charge.
Suddenly, that familiar voice cut through the air.
I paused, Ethan's annoyed voice blaring from the mic.
He said, "Why is there always someone getting in the way? Where are the security guards? Didn't I say to clear the place during rehearsal?"
He didn't mention any names, but his gaze was fixed right on me.
I was quite far away from him, and if he hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have even noticed him.
Everyone's eyes followed his and landed right on me.
It was thick with murmurs and mocking whispers.
Chloe, standing next to him, snickered.
She said, "Come on, Ethan, don't be like this. After all, she's still your ex."
Ethan scoffed, "Ex? Please, as if she ever mattered."
His voice was cold and full of sarcasm.
"Forget it, let's not talk about buzzkills," he added.
Saying that, he reached out, slinging his arm around Chloe's shoulders and pulling her close.
"But," Chloe said.
She nestled against Ethan, making herself comfortable in his arms.
She continued, "Should we explain it to her? We just..."
"Explain what?" Ethan interrupted, his voice dripping with disdain.