Chapter 1

When Ethan Brooks got home from his night shift, I had finished making his favorite dishes and set them on the table.

I wanted to tell him that my mom had finally given her blessing for us to get married.

But Ethan tossed his car keys onto the table, exhaustion in his voice as he said, "I got married."

The dishes were still steaming, but my heart instantly froze.

I stared at Ethan, stunned. "What?"

Ethan said, "I married Tara Collins, the new ER nurse.

"She's young, and she's all in for me. I couldn't leave her without anything to rely on."

*****

I gripped my fork, my fingers trembling. "So what were those eight years for, huh?"

Ethan looked up at me and actually managed a smile. "You're different. You're the one I can't let go of. As long as you keep quiet, we're still family."

I didn't cry, nor did I smash anything.

I picked up the dishes, walked into the kitchen, and poured them into the trash can.

Ethan frowned. "Summer Hughes, I finished a whole night shift. Your silence is driving me crazy."

I turned to face him. "When did you get married?"

Ethan rubbed his temples. "Yesterday at noon. Tara got off her night shift, and there weren't many people at the city hall, so we went there on the way."

They went there on the way.

Yesterday at noon, I was with my mom for her dialysis evaluation. She was lying in a hospital bed, holding my hand, and said, "Summer, I've finally come around. If you're sure about Ethan, then marry him."

I almost cried right then and there.

I texted Ethan: [My mom finally agreed.]

He didn't reply.

Turned out, he was at the city hall, getting married to Tara.

I asked, "Does she know about me?"

Ethan paused for a couple of seconds. "Yes."

"She really doesn't care?"

"She's young, and she's insecure," Ethan said, sounding really tired. It was like I was the one who didn't get it.

"She cried and said she didn't want a wedding gift or a wedding ceremony. She wants to be officially by my side," Ethan continued.

I laughed bitterly, "So after eight years by your side, what am I to you?"

Ethan looked up at me. "Summer, those eight years weren't wasted. You can keep living here. Nothing in your life has to change. Don't make it sound worse than it is."

It finally hit me. His so-called compensation was letting me stay here. I had to keep cleaning up his mess and looking after him. I had to tend to his stomach troubles, his irregular late nights, and the chaos he left behind after every shift.

I was not his girlfriend anymore, but someone he had to keep in the shadows.

I went into the bedroom to gather my things.

When I opened the closet, my hand stopped halfway.

Inside, there was a whole row of unfamiliar women's clothes. There was a pink sweater, a floral dress, and a nurse's uniform jacket.

There was a pair of white sneakers in the shoe cabinet.

There was an extra bottle of face wash on the bathroom counter.

And on the nightstand, a skinny hair tie was sitting there. I picked it up and asked, "So she's already been staying here, hasn't she?"

Ethan was standing in the doorway. He didn't deny it.

He said, "Tara gets scared sleeping alone in the dorm."

I nodded. "So you let her take over my bed?"

His face darkened. "Do you have to say it like that?"

I took off the ring he gave me and set it on the table. It was a silver ring he bought the year he finished his residency. He said he'd get me a diamond ring once he became an attending physician.

After he became an attending, he said we'd wait until we bought a house and things were stable.

After we bought the house, he said we'd wait until my mom gave her blessing.

And now, my mom had finally given her blessing.

But Ethan was already married.

I pulled out my suitcase.

Ethan suddenly got flustered. He wrapped his arms around me from behind. "Summer, don't leave me. I simply wanted to make sure Tara was settled first.

"She needs me. She can't handle things on her own. But you're not like her. You're mature, you get me."

As Ethan hugged me, all I felt was pure disgust.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

For a second, I wondered if he'd chicken out and not open it.

But he did.

Tara was standing at the door, her face looked tiny, and her eyes were red from crying. She was wearing a man's jacket. It was the one I had queued for two hours to buy for Ethan last winter.

She was holding a wedding favor. "Ethan, I came to get my marriage certificate."

As soon as she finished, she spotted me. She gave a shy little smile. "Summer, you're here too."

I didn't say a word.

She changed into the house slippers. They were the ones I'd bought to keep in the living room, in case someone needed them.

She put them on like she'd done it a hundred times before.

She walked straight into the bedroom, like she knew exactly where everything was, and pulled open the drawer of my nightstand.

The marriage certificate was sitting right there. It was tucked under an old photo album. Beneath the marriage certificate lay a letter. It was written by my mother for Ethan.

She'd finished it yesterday and told me to hand it over.

The first line of the letter said: [Ethan, from now on, Summer's in your hands.]

Tara picked up the letter, blinking in confusion. "Is this from your mom, Summer? Did she write it for you two? Sorry, am I not supposed to read this?"

I reached for it. But Ethan grabbed it before I could. The letter's corner tore.

"Don't scare her," Ethan said.

Watching Ethan stand protectively in front of Tara, the place I'd called home suddenly felt unfamiliar.

I'd lived here for five years. But now, standing here, I felt like I didn't belong at all.