thought our marriage was suffocating. I thought maybe if we separated, I could figure things out. But then I saw you with Simon, and-”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I interrupted, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Let me get this straight. You divorced me because you felt suffocated. And now, what? You’re upset because someone else appreciates what you threw away? Ethan, did you happen to drop your
sense of shame along with your dignity?”
I glared at him, anger bubbling to the surface. “Let me remind you, Ethan: you’re the one who filed for divorce. You’re the one who disappeared after every fight. And you’re the one who dragged me to the courthouse because Summer was coming back. Don’t you dare act like this is my
fault.”
He flinched as if my words had physically struck him, but I wasn’t done.
Fixing him with a steely gaze, I added, “Do you even know why I didn’t show up that day? Do you know why I walk with a limp now?”
Ethan’s expression faltered, confusion clouding his face. “What… what are you talking about?”
I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “I was in a car accident, Ethan. That’s why I didn’t meet you. That’s why my leg hasn’t fully healed. And you? You never even bothered to ask if I was okay.”
His face paled, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of lingering on his guilt.
“You didn’t love me, Ethan,” I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a knife. “You loved the Annie who worshipped you, who bent over backward to make your life easier, who thought you were worth sacrificing everything for. But that Annie is gone.”
I left Ethan standing there, his shock frozen on his face, and went to meet with Mr. Lee.
As always, Mr. Lee was polite, but he explained that the competition for the Southside property had become so intense that they’d decided to
move forward with a bidding process.
I nodded, thanking him for his time. It wasn’t an issue–Crane Enterprises had the resources to prepare a strong bid.
When I left his office, I was surprised to find Ethan still waiting outside.
He was staring at my slightly uneven gait, his expression filled with something that looked like regret. “Annie, I… I didn’t know you-”
“Does it even matter if you know now?” I cut him off, my voice tired. “Since when have you ever cared about my well–being?”
I turned to leave, heading toward the car parked at the curb. I had work to do–there was no time to dwell on Ethan’s sudden burst of
conscience.
But, of course, he wasn’t finished.
1:01 PM d
<
“Annie,” he called after me, stepping in front of the car door before I could open it. His face was etched with desperation. “Let’s get back together. Please. Summer and I… there’s nothing real between us. It was never serious”
I froze, staring at him in disbelief.
“Ethan,” I said slowly, my tone icy, “don’t make me lose the last shred of respect I have for you.”
He flinched but didn’t back down.
“You’re the one who chased after Summer,” I continued, my voice hard. “You left me for her. And now that you have her, you’re already looking
for someone else? Pathetic.”
“I made a mistake,” he insisted, his tone pleading. “I didn’t realize how much I needed you. Annie, I was wrong. Leave Simon and come back to me. Please.”
I laughed bitterly. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Before I could react, he reached out, trying to pull me into a hug. I stepped back instinctively, but my injured leg gave out, and I stumbled.
In that moment, all I could think was, Of course. Nothing good ever happens when Ethan’s around.
I braced myself for the fall, but before I hit the ground, a strong arm caught me, pulling me into a firm chest.
“Annie,” Simon’s voice was low, steady, and filled with quiet fury.
I barely had time to process what was happening before Simon turned, landing a swift, harsh punch squarely on Ethan’s jaw.
“If you ever bother Annie again,” Simon growled, his voice cold and dangerous, “I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Ethan stumbled back, clutching his face, glaring at Simon with a mix of fury and humiliation. “Annie loved me long before you even knew her,”
he spat, his voice shaking.
Simon didn’t flinch. He stood tall, shielding me as he stared Ethan down, his amber eyes cold as ice.
“And does she still love you now?” Simon asked, his tone sharp and unyielding. “Does she still love you, Ethan?”
14
Ethan froze, staring at me with a mix of desperation and bewilderment.
I’d never seen him like this before. He’d always been cold and composed in front of me, but now he looked like a man who’d lost everything–a stray dog with nowhere to run.
“Annie, you still love me, don’t you?”
His voice trembled as he reached for reassurance, his eyes pleading with me to agree. “Tell him. Tell Simon you still love me!”
But I shook my head, my voice steady and clear. “Ethan, I don’t love you anymore.”
The words came out so calmly, I even surprised myself.
“When I was lying in that hospital bed after the car accident–alone, broken, and forgotten–while you were busy asking me why I didn’t show up to sign the divorce papers so you could run off to Summer… that’s when I stopped loving you.”
I met his gaze, my voice sharp and unrelenting. “Ethan, you lost me. The Annie who loved you no longer exists.”
The Annie who survived that car crash was someone new. Someone who had learned to live for herself.
Ethan’s face twisted with disbelief as he stumbled back a step. He muttered to himself, “You… you don’t love me? I don’t believe it. I don’t
believe it…”
“How can you just walk away now, Annie? Right when I’ve realized I love you?”
1:01 PM
<
His voice cracked, his emotions spilling over. He looked like a man unraveling, his expression wild and unhinged.
Simon immediately stepped between us, shielding me from Ethan’s outburst as he guided me into the car.
But as I glanced out the window, I froze.
Summer was standing a short distance away, tears streaming down her face. Her once–pristine, angelic appearance was ruined by the fury in her gaze as she stared at me.
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. What right did she have to be angry at me?
“Summer?” Ethan finally noticed her too, blinking in surprise.
Summer’s lip quivered before she broke into loud, choking sobs. “Ethan, you’re such a bastard!”
I nodded in agreement. Well said. Ethan was a bastard.
But to my shock, after a brief hesitation, Ethan muttered, “I’m sorry.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. Was he serious?
“Sorry?” Summer shrieked, her voice hoarse and trembling. “You made promises to me when I came back. You said you’d choose me, and now you’re throwing me away?!”
She cried so hard she could barely speak, her face twisted with anguish. For a moment, I almost pitied her.
Almost.
“Summer,” Ethan said softly, his tone distant and melancholic, “you were the most beautiful dream I ever had. But that’s all you were–a dream. And now I’ve woken up.”
I glanced at him, unimpressed. I’d heard enough of his and Summer’s tragic love story over the years. It was the same old tale of unrequited love–bittersweet and dramatic until reality set in.
I could guess what had happened. Ethan had finally gotten the chance to be with his “dream girl,” only to realize she wasn’t the flawless goddess he’d imagined.
Oof. Must’ve been rough when the fantasy didn’t match the reality.
“So… this is it?” Summer asked, her voice shaking as tears streamed down her face. “You’re just ending it? After everything we’ve been through?”
Ethan nodded solemnly. “I don’t want to ruin the memory of what we once had by forcing something that isn’t real anymore.”
Summer’s face crumpled as she let out a strangled sob. She turned and ran, shouting back at him, “You’ll regret this, Ethan! I swear you will!”
Bang!
Summer had barely taken three steps before she tripped over my parked car and fell hard onto the pavement.
The situation went from bad to worse.
Summer ended up in the hospital, and during her examination, the doctors discovered she’d been pregnant–but the fall caused her to lose the baby.
When she woke up, she glared at me with pure hatred in her eyes, as if I were somehow responsible for her misery.
Honestly, I felt a little bad for her. But blaming me for everything? That was where my sympathy ended.
My marriage had already fallen apart because of her return, and now she wanted to pin her miscarriage on me too?
“Let’s go,” I said to Simon, turning away from her.
