“See? She’s gone. We can be normal again.
I’ll be right here when you get back. I’ll be
good, I promise.” He held up three fingers,
like swearing an oath.
I stared at him, speechless. I was going to
break up with him before I left, but now…
“Ethan, I-”
He put his hand over my mouth. Tears filled
his eyes.
They spilled over, landing on the floor. I
would’ve comforted him before. Now, I just
watched. Ethan, crying? Over me?
“Olivia,” he choked out. “I’ll go with you.”
I knew what a massive decision that was. His
entire life was here.
<
I looked away. I thought I was past feeling
anything, but seeing him like this… it stung.
“Ethan, please don’t,” I whispered.
He pulled me close, his tears soaking my
shirt. “I’ll leave everything behind, Olivia. I
want to be with you. Take me with you.”
I loved a grand gesture, but not this one. I
pushed him away. “Ethan, we’re over. We’re
not good for each other. I’m done. I need to
do this for myself.”
Tears streamed down his face, his voice
hoarse. “No! I don’t agree! We’re not
breaking up!”
I laughed, a hollow sound. “You should be
relieved. You always complained about me
He grabbed my shoulders, his eyes desperate.
“I’ll change! I’ll be better! I’ll spend every
holiday with you! Just don’t go!”
“We don’t have any more holidays, Ethan,” I
said, pulling away.
He sobbed, begging, pleading, promising to
change. I finally agreed to take him with me,
just to make it stop.
He hugged me, relief washing over his face. I
endured it. It was the last hug.
One morning, I packed my bags quietly. I took
one last look at Ethan, asleep in bed. I
whispered goodbye, then another to the
apartment. I wasn’t coming back. This was it.
At the airport, my phone buzzed with Ethan’s
<
“Where r u?”
“Why aren’t u answering???”
“I’m here! Where are you?”
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t face him.
The messages kept coming. I ignored them,
and walked toward my gate.
“Olivia! Please!” Ethan’s voice echoed
through the terminal, raw with desperation.
I froze, but didn’t turn. I boarded the plane.
One last text from Ethan: “You lied.”
I typed back, a sad smile on my face: “You
lied first.”
<
He’d lied about Sarah countless times. Each
lie had been a small betrayal. Now he knew
how it felt.
I landed in London, greeted by the dance
company. They took me to my new
apartment, small but perfect. I blocked
Ethan’s number. He wasn’t part of my life
anymore.
A year later, I was thriving in London,
surrounded by new friends. My dream had
come true. The dream of marrying Ethan?
That one was gone.
One afternoon, a call from an unknown.
number. A number from back home. I knew it
was him. I answered.
E
<
come true. The dream of marrying Ethan?
That one was gone.
One afternoon, a call from an unknown
number. A number from back home. I knew it
was him. I answered.
His voice, choked with sobs. “You lied. It
wasn’t two years.”
I paused. “I’m not coming back, Ethan.
Goodbye.”
I hung up, cutting the final thread. I looked
out at the city lights. Ethan and I were two
parallel lines, destined to never meet again.
