Chapter 4

A bitter taste filled my mouth. I let out a soft, humorless laugh.

Right in front of their eyes, I tossed the gift box straight into the trash can.

"I don't want the gift."

"I don't want the key either."

I looked between Ethan and Harper.

"And as for the two of you? I don't want either of you in my life anymore."

I grabbed my purse, unlocked the door, and prepared to walk out.

Ethan lost his temper. He chased after me into the hallway, yelling:

"Chloe, what more do you want?"

"We're practically begging you! Isn't that enough?"

I cast a cold glance back at him.

Too utterly disappointed to waste another breath, I walked away.

From that day on, neither Ethan nor Harper reached out to me. Not a single DM.

In the three-person Snap group, they continued chatting back and forth, but my name was never mentioned. I never sent a word either.

We maintained this eerie, suffocating silence.

Until my last day at the company. I finished wrapping up my final paperwork, ready to head straight downstairs to the airport.

It was just Colorado. I could go by myself.

Downstairs, Ethan was waiting for me with a sniffling Harper by his side.

I glanced at them and pretended not to see, pulling out my phone to hail an Uber.

They rushed over to block my path.

Ethan opened his mouth, full of accusations:

"Chloe, aren't you taking this too far?"

"Just because things got tense between us, you decide to ruin Harper's career? Call the client right now and tell them to drop the complaint!"

Harper sobbed, pleading:

"Chloe, I'm sorry! You know how hard it was for me to get this job. Please let me off the hook!"

"If that client keeps pressing the complaint, HR is going to fire me!"

I looked at the two of them.

"I didn't tell anyone to do that. And she shouldn't expect me to clean up her messes every time she screws up at work. If you made a mistake, fix it. Go apologize to the client. Crying to me won't do a damn thing!"

Hearing this, Harper became hysterical.

She lunged forward, grabbing my clothes, dropping to her knees.

"Chloe, I hear you! I get it!"

"I'll make it up to you! I'm apologizing! Is dropping to my knees enough? Please spare me! I promise I'll never contact Ethan again! But I really can't lose this job, I can't go back home!"

Ethan rushed to pull her up, the two of them clutching and tangling with each other.

Once Harper was steady, Ethan glared daggers at me.

"Chloe, haven't you had your fun? Do you really need everyone begging on their knees before you're satisfied? Fix Harper's issue right now, give her a sincere apology, and we can still work this out."

"Otherwise, there is no way in hell I'm marrying you!"

I burst into laughter.

"Then we don't get married."

I opened the Uber door, slipped inside, and the car pulled away.

In the rearview mirror, Ethan stood frozen on the sidewalk, stunned, as if he never imagined I would actually leave.

He scrambled for his phone to call me, but Harper pulled at his sleeve.

They started grappling with each other again.

I looked away.

My heart didn't ache. I only felt immense, overwhelming relief.

A few minutes later, Ethan sent a barrage of texts.

"Where are you going?"

"Harper won't stop crying. Her work situation isn't resolved yet. Where the hell are you?"

"Chloe, stop being so childish! Let's both cool off. I'll come by your place tonight!"

My place?

Where would he even find me?

I chuckled coldly and locked my screen, not bothering to reply.

Once seated on the plane, my phone buzzed with an incoming call from Ethan.

He probably realized my apartment was completely empty.

I ignored it. Snapping a photo of the airplane wing outside the window, I posted an Instagram story:

"Ethan and I are officially over. Just so everyone knows."

Then, I switched my phone to airplane mode.

None of it mattered anymore.

Three people in a relationship is far too crowded.

From now on, I'm walking this road alone.