Chapter 2

At the law firm, I organized every file related to Ethan, along with all the documents that needed to be handed over.

Only then did I realize that after seven years of dating, I had accumulated a thick stack of records about him.

But he had given me very little in return.

He hadn’t even given me one decent gift.

He always said, "We know each other too well. Don’t limit yourself to ordinary material gifts."

Yet when Angela joined the firm, he gave her a custom-made suit as a congratulatory present.

For Angela’s birthday, he prepared a huge bouquet of the white roses she loved.

I had questioned him about it and complained more than once.

But he always told me, "Those formal gestures are meaningless. What matters is living a practical life together."

Yet he had also said, "She’s just a young woman who recently started working and needs something to help her make a good impression. Don’t make things difficult for me."

He told me not to make things difficult for him.

But when had he ever considered what I was supposed to do?

I gave myself a mocking smile when my phone vibrated.

It was my mother calling.

"Hello, Claire. How are things going with the wedding? Have you and Ethan discussed it?"

Not long before, I had taken Ethan to meet my parents.

Both families had been satisfied with us.

But when it was time to set a wedding date, Ethan said he was still at an important stage in his career and that there was no rush to get married.

At the time, I had been disappointed, but I still tried to understand that he was under a lot of pressure at work.

Now, I was simply grateful.

If a man could turn our anniversary dinner into someone else’s achievement celebration, would I have to spend the rest of my life waiting alone after marrying him?

"Mom, there’s not going to be a wedding. I’m planning to break up with him."

My mother’s voice instantly grew tense.

"Why? Did he do something to hurt you?"

"No. I just suddenly realized that we aren’t right for each other."

There was an obvious silence on the other end of the phone.

After all, everyone knew that I had loved Ethan for seven full years.

Everyone knew how deep seven years of love could run.

I had been the one to pursue Ethan.

To get closer to him, I attended the finance lectures he liked, read books in his field of study, and even secretly signed up for the same gym just so I could "run into" him.

After graduation, he accepted a job in South City.

Without a second thought, I gave up the job my advisor had recommended and followed him with a suitcase in hand.

My mother was so angry that she refused to speak to me for three days.

I had only replied, "Mom, if I miss out on him, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life."

The day Ethan accepted my confession, I cried tears of joy.

I thought I had finally melted the glacier around his heart, and that happiness would follow from then on.

But I was wrong.

When he repeatedly forgot about me for Angela, I should have understood that this relationship had ended long ago.

I turned off my phone and saw a new post from Angela about their romantic dinner.

[Thank you, Ethan, for celebrating with me! With you around, I’ll never be afraid.]

In the photo, they stood close together, as if they were the real couple.

My eyes stung slightly.

The location tag showed the restaurant I had spent hours researching.

The candlelight flickered, the food was exquisite, and a beautiful piano melody played in the background.

But every time I invited Ethan there, he would say, "We’re getting married soon. Can you be a little more frugal?"

"A single meal costs several hundred dollars. You can have a candlelit dinner at home too."

He said it so confidently that I could only swallow my expectations time and time again.

Yet when Angela said she wanted to eat there, he took her to the restaurant I had dreamed of visiting with him.

After organizing the last document, I collapsed into my chair, exhausted.

The last time I had helped Ethan’s company prepare a legal compliance plan, I had stayed up for three consecutive nights.

The data was complicated and disorganized.

I had called Ethan and told him how tired I was.

I asked whether we could have two more days or whether he could provide me with an updated summary.

Instead, he sternly criticized me.

"Why do you have no spirit of cooperation? You’re always trying to get other people to do your work for you. If the project misses its deadline, can you afford the consequences?"

To avoid delaying the project and meet the deadline, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and stay up.

In the end, I suffered an acute attack of gastritis and had to spend two days in the hospital receiving IV fluids.

But when Angela stayed up late making a presentation, Ethan had specifically taken time off to keep her company.

"Angela’s new to the industry and under a lot of pressure. We have to help her more."

I watched him bustle around Angela’s desk, bringing her coffee and fixing her formatting, and he felt like a complete stranger.

So he wasn’t incapable of staying up with someone.

He just wasn’t willing to take a single day off for me.

After finishing everything that needed to be handed over, I prepared to go home.

It didn’t matter.

I would give myself a vacation.