Chapter 5
"No... it can't be..." Ethan muttered to himself, his fingers mindlessly swiping across his phone screen, desperately searching for another way to reach her.
He tried every messaging app he could think of, PayPal, Amazon, even Slack, sending messages in a frantic attempt to get through.
But every single one failed, or worse, disappeared into the void without a trace.
Claire had cut off every possible way for him to reach her.
Ethan collapsed onto the cold floor, utterly crushed.
The room was silent as a tomb, with only his ragged breaths echoing in the emptiness.
It hit him that when she said she was "tired" and begged him to "let her go," she truly meant it.
This time, it wasn't just Claire being upset.
The realization sent a jolt of panic through him.
He started desperately calling Claire from unfamiliar numbers, one after another.
Each time, all he heard was a brief waiting tone.
Then, the call was promptly hung up. When he tried again, it was just a busy signal.
That number ended up blocked as well.
He kept trying with different numbers, but every single attempt ended the same way.
Those endless calls from unfamiliar numbers every day vanished into the void and couldn't connect to Claire's world.
Friend requests on WhatsApp became his only outlet to pour out his feelings.
He sent them again and again, each note packed with regret and desperate pleas.
[Claire, I know I messed up. Please, just answer my call, okay?]
[Seven years together. Can you really just let it all go like it meant nothing?]
[I made your favorite steak at home. Come back and have some.]
[I'll take care of things with Emily. I swear this is the last time.]
[Claire, I really can't go on without you...]
Every message disappeared without a trace. Not a single reply.
That kind of complete, no-way-back rejection left Ethan's mind in total chaos.
But instead of letting go, he stubbornly convinced himself that Claire was just mad at him. After all, he'd messed up the engagement party she'd been looking forward to for ages.
Just for a chance to see her, Ethan would cook Claire's favorite meals every single day and deliver them to her office, hoping she'd show up.
Even when she refused him, or he didn't even catch a glimpse of her, he never gave up.
Claire's coworkers kept taking turns trying to convince her. "Come on, couples fight all the time. Just let it blow over. Guys like him don't come around often. You'll regret letting him go."
Claire was fed up with all the advice, but she felt powerless to change anything.
After he bought afternoon snacks for the whole office again, Claire finally confronted him. "Ethan, we've broken up. Don't do this anymore. It's making me really uncomfortable."
Ethan pulled Claire into his arms, his voice choked with emotion. "Claire, I don't want to break up. Please, don't leave me, okay? Just tell me what I did wrong, and I'll change, I promise.
"I'll do anything, I'll change anything, as long as you don't break up with me. Claire, we love each other so much. Please, don't just walk away from us like this, okay?"
For a brief moment, Claire lingered in the familiar warmth of his arms, almost wanting to stay.
But she quickly pushed him away and wiped her face.
"Ethan, I told you that day. Your love isn't going to fix what's wrong with Emily, and it's not going to make me stop being afraid. I'm tired. I don't want to keep living on edge anymore. We—"
Before she could finish, Ethan's phone went off with that annoying ringtone he'd set just for Emily.
Claire glanced at the screen and gave a cool, almost indifferent smile. "Go on, answer it. If something happens to her, you'll only have yourself to blame."
Ethan looked at Claire, his gaze torn, but in the end, he answered anyway. "Emily, I've already made things clear. Please don't call me again, you—"
"Ethan, it's Mary. You need to get to the hospital right now! Emily woke up and you weren't there, and... She tried to slit her wrists again. Please, I'm begging you, Ethan, come see her. You and Emily grew up together. I'm begging you, please..."
Mary was sobbing so hard that Ethan could barely make out her words as she pleaded over the phone.
Ethan instantly got anxious. "Claire, just hold on a second! Emily... her mom just called, said she's in danger again. I need to go, I'll be back as soon as I can."
Watching him rush out the door, Claire scoffed.
She knew it. It was always the same.
There was always Emily, always threatening to hurt herself, and Ethan would turn his back and leave her without a second thought.
Even when he was pleading with Claire not to leave.
Claire was just done. She'd never felt this tired in her heart before.
She even thought about running away from this city, just to leave all this drama behind.
But as Claire scrolled through her phone and saw her work group blowing up about a big project, the urge to drop everything and disappear just melted away.
Was she really about to throw away years of hard work, everything she had built, for some guy? The answer came almost instantly. No. It wasn't worth it.