Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
I had been with her since I was eighteen.
From a kid washing cars to the Head of Finance at her company, and from a damp basement into the luxury villa she bought.
She never brought up marriage. I always thought the timing just wasn’t right.
Until a handsome new intern joined the firm. Three months after they met, on his birthday, she accepted his proposal.
Her best friend couldn't bear to watch me stay in the dark, so she secretly texted me the news.
It turns out ten years really can’t compete with three months.
Staring at the location pin her friend sent, my hands shook so hard I could barely hold my phone.
When I arrived at the hotel, the private dining room was loud and lively.
I pushed the door open. The first thing I saw was her arms wrapped around that boy.
I picked up a flute of champagne from a passing tray and walked straight up to her.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you," she replied on reflex.
Then she saw my face. She froze completely.
"What are you doing here?"
I didn’t look at her. I just swirled the glass in my hand.
"A proposal is a huge milestone. Why didn't you let me know?"
Chloe’s face turned pale. She reached out, trying to grab my arm.
"Ethan, go home first. I’ll explain everything later."
I pulled back, avoiding her touch. My voice stayed dead calm.
"There’s nothing to explain. I was just curious."
The intern stood up, biting his lower lip, looking at me with wounded eyes.
"Ethan, I’m sorry. I was the one who asked Chloe to keep it quiet."
His voice was soft, clear, and innocent.
"I was afraid you’d target me at the office. I was scared people would talk."
I let out a soft laugh.
"Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of person."
I locked eyes with him and said slowly,
"Then again, when someone plays the home-wrecker, people talking is only fair. Wouldn’t you agree?"
His face drained of all color, and tears spilled down his cheeks right on cue.
Chloe instantly stepped in front of him, shielding him behind her back, glaring at me.
"Ethan, that’s enough! Whatever you have to say, we say it at home."
She protected him like he was a piece of fragile porcelain.
Looking at her, I suddenly felt like I was looking at a total stranger.
Ten years. It took me a whole decade to truly see through someone.
"Fine. Carry on, then."
I set the champagne glass on the table, turned around, and walked out.
Stepping out of the hotel lobby, the cool June night air hit my face.
I stood on the curb and called an Uber home.
Neon lights blurred past the window one by one, while yesterday’s memory kept replaying in my head.
Just yesterday, I was standing in front of the mirror, trying on a crisp new shirt, wondering if I should propose to Chloe this weekend.
Ten years together. I thought it was finally time to settle down.
How pathetic.
I was eighteen when I fell for her.
That year, my younger sister was diagnosed with kidney disease. My family sold everything we owned and still couldn’t cover the surgery bills. I dropped out of college to scrub cars at a local wash.
Chloe came in to get her car detailed. She saw my raw, peeling hands, and told me, "Hey kid, come work for my company. I’ll teach you."
She taught me how to read ledgers, how to build financial statements, and how to navigate the corporate world.
From a basement to a mansion, from a car detailer to the Head of Finance, it took me ten years.
Everyone said I was the poor boy who struck gold. For a long time, I almost believed it too.
Except in fairy tales, the princess marries the prince.
My princess chose to kneel before someone else.
I drew in a deep breath and rolled the window down.
The wind rushed in, stinging my eyes, but I didn't shed a single tear.
From this moment on, Chloe and Ethan were strangers.
It was past eleven when I got home.
I didn’t turn on the chandelier, leaving only a dim foyer light glowing as I sat down on the sofa.
I had lived in this villa for five years. I took care of every single corner of it.
I picked the sofa. I measured the curtains. I handpicked the dishes in the kitchen set by set.
Yet the deed carried only Chloe’s name.
An overwhelming exhaustion washed over me. I leaned back and closed my eyes.
My head was a messy blur, filled with echoes of the past decade.Whenever Chloe drank too much at business dinners, I was the one waiting up with warm soup.
Every year on her birthday, I spent a whole month preparing her gifts.
She said she was too busy with her career to think about marriage, and I said okay, I’ll wait.
I waited and waited, and this was where waiting led me.
At two in the morning, the front door lock beeped.
Chloe was back.
I opened my eyes. She slipped off her heels and stepped into the living room.
Under the faint yellow glow of the foyer light, I instantly spotted the fresh red mark on her neck.
A hickey.
She used to never let anyone leave marks where people could see, claiming it looked unprofessional.
I guess she was truly over the moon tonight.
She paused in her tracks when she saw me sitting on the sofa.
She didn't come over to hug me like she usually did, nor did she explain why she was home so late.
She walked over to the armchair farthest away from me, sat down, and stayed silent for a while.
"Ethan."
She finally spoke, her voice slightly raspy.
"We’ve been together for too long."
I looked at her, saying nothing.
"We’re too familiar. It feels like family now. We’re just not suited for marriage anymore."
She kept her head down, carefully choosing her words.
"Bowen is different. Being around him makes me want to get married. He makes me want to settle down."
Bowen. The intern.
I repeated the name silently in my head.
"I know this is on me. I’ll make it up to you."
She finally looked up at me.
"I’ll sign the deed to this villa over to you, plus five million in cash. It’ll be enough for you to live comfortably."
She paused for a second.
"As for the company, submit your resignation. It’ll be awkward for Bowen to see you around."
When she finished, I simply nodded.
"Deal."
She froze, clearly caught off guard by how readily I agreed.
"You agree? Just like that?"
"Just like that."
I stood up and looked down at her.
"Pack your things and move out right now."
She frowned.
"Right now?"
"Yes. Tonight."
My tone was utterly flat.
"Since this house is mine now, you leave."
She stared at me for a few seconds before nodding.
"Fine. I’ll go upstairs and pack."
She headed upstairs. I stood rooted to the spot.
A few minutes later, the sounds of closets opening and drawers sliding shut echoed from above.
I walked out onto the balcony, gazing into the pitch-black night. My chest felt hollow.
It wasn't heartbreak anymore; it was an emptiness left behind after everything had been drained out of me.
When the wind blew, I felt weightless.
About half an hour later, Chloe walked down carrying two suitcases.
She stopped at the foyer, looked back at me, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something.
I didn’t look back.
The heavy front door clicked shut. The roar of her car engine faded into the distance.
Standing in the quiet living room, I suddenly let out a faint laugh.
Ten years, packed into two bags and driven away.
Clean and efficient.The next morning, I showed up at the office as usual.
There were still personal things I needed to clear out.
The moment I stepped through the main doors, I saw Bowen sitting behind the reception counter.
He was wearing a crisp white designer tee today, his hair styled casually, looking every bit the bright, radiant golden boy.
Catching sight of me, he deliberately raised his left hand.
The luxury watch around his wrist caught the fluorescent lights with a blinding glint.
I kept my expression neutral and kept walking. But he slipped out from behind the counter and stepped directly into my path.
"Morning, Ethan."
He smiled, holding his wrist up and flaunting it right in front of my face.
"Nice, isn't it? Chloe picked it out for me."
He tilted his head, watching me playfully.
"You were with her for ten years. Did she ever buy you a watch like this?"
I glanced down at the watch.
"I have dozens of them. All bought by her."
I smiled faintly.
"Every single one costs more than that piece. But I only wear them to match my outfits. Never really thought of them as something worth bragging about."
His smile froze.
I stepped around him and walked straight to my office desk.
I opened my cabinets and began clearing out my things.
There wasn’t much to pack. Very few personal items.
I put them into a cardboard box.
As I packed, Bowen drifted over again, hovering beside me.
"Aren't those company property? You can't just take whatever you want."
He pointed at a binder inside the box.
I pulled it out and flipped it open in front of him.
"These are my personal working notes. My own property."
He sneered.
I continued packing, pulling a few knickknacks out of the box and leaving them on the desk.
"You’re right, though. I don’t need to take these with me."
I looked up at him.
"I was going to toss them in the dumpster outside so no one here would have to deal with the trash."
His expression changed.
"What did you say?"
"I said, these worthless items were meant for the garbage."
I shoved the pile right toward his hands.
"Since you're so invested, why don't you throw them out for me?"
He gritted his teeth, about to snap back, when footsteps clicked behind us.
Chloe walked in.
Seeing me holding the moving box, and seeing Bowen’s stormy face, she frowned.
"Bowen, give us a minute outside."
Bowen parted his lips in protest, clearly unhappy, but seeing Chloe’s stern expression, he turned on his heel and walked off.
Not before throwing me a venomous glare.
Chloe walked up to me and reached for the box.
"Let me help you pack."
I didn't stop her. I leaned against the desk and watched her hands move.
She opened my bottom drawer, where a stack of folders sat in neat order.
She pulled one out, flipped through it, and suddenly froze.
Tucked inside was a photograph taken the first year we got together.
In the photo, I was nineteen, wearing a faded mechanic's jumpsuit, grinning candidly at the lens.
She stared at the picture for a very long time.
"Ethan."
Her voice dropped low.
"When I loved you... I really, truly loved you."
I listened quietly.
"I used to believe we’d get married too."
She placed the photo carefully back into the box.
"But after meeting Bowen, I realized..."
She paused, unable to finish the sentence.
"You realized what?"
I finished it for her.
"You realized the person you want isn't me anymore. It’s him."
She stayed silent, offering no denial.
I lifted the cardboard box into my arms.
"Chloe, honestly, you don't need to explain."
I looked into her eyes, my mind feeling more tranquil than it had ever been.
"Because I don't love you anymore, either."
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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