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As I packed,I laughed at3r myself:No wonder Ethan sent no invitations,claimed he wanted a quiet wedding,said his family disapproved,so we couldn't go big,apologizing to me.
Four years together,our lives were already intertwined and inseparable.The house was full of shared things,impossible to sort them all out clearly.Half-dazed,I stuffed essentials into a suitcase.
April ran over and licked my face.Only then did I realize I was crying.I'd genuinely loved Ethan—how could I not be heartbroken?
As I opened the door to leave,I saw Ethan standing there,wasn’t he supposed to be with April Sterling?His eyes flicked from my tear-streaked face to my suitcase,frowning:
"Where are you going?"
The sudden confrontation caught me off guard.Tears fell as I choked out:
"Ethan,I know everything.I don't blame you for having a first love—everyone has a past.But you shouldn't have let her haunt every corner of our life.From now on every time I see the word April,I'll think of you two."
"Now that April's back,I'm stepping out.I'll leave for good,never bothering you again."
Instead of relieved,he became agitated,pulling me back inside.I glared at him through tears.He sighed,sitting across from me:
"April Sterling was my childhood friend,my ex.We dated for four years,then she dumped me and left for Europe.We haven't seen each other since."
Why tell me these now?No use.
"But you still love her,don't you?You kept that album.You hid your love for her beneath our relationship.Even this wedding was to lure her back.Is that fair to me,Ethan?What am I to you?What were these four years to me?"
He went quiet,a rare silence,admitting he still loved her.Why else go to such lengths?
Rubbing his brow,he sounded impatient:
"Stop it,Chloe.Yes,the wedding was fake.But four years together,I'm not entirely heartless.Stay calm,stay with me.I'll handle April.We might even marry for real."
After a pause,he leaned back,tossing a card onto the table,resuming his lofty air:
"If you insist on leaving,take this card as compensation for our four years.But if you do,we're done.Think carefully."
He looked smug,as if certain I'd stay.He was wrong.I wasn't the only one acting these four years.I grabbed the card,walked to the door,and as I turned away from him,I couldn’t hold back my smile anymore.
Thank God April showed up.Or would I really have married Ethan?I wouldn’t want to waste my precious youth on a loveless marriage,especially with his prickly elite family.
