He Tripped Me at the Wedding So She Could Catch the Bouquet Chapter 03

He Tripped Me at the Wedding So She Could Catch the Bouquet Chapter 03

My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.

One of my friends posted a photo in our group chat.

Ethan was at the mall with Zoe’s whole family. Shopping bags hanging off both arms.

The perfect boyfriend, the perfect son-in-law act. Every inch of it.

“Ellie, what the hell is Ethan doing?”

Like they couldn’t hold it in anymore. The words came out raw, unfiltered.

“Ellie, I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while.”

“I’ve seen Ethan with his ‘assistant’ outside of work more times than I can count.”

“I didn’t say anything before. Didn’t want to seem like I was stirring shit.”

“But then at Yara’s wedding, he insisted on bringing her along.”

“You had a miscarriage, and he’s not home taking care of you? He’s got time to play shopping buddy?”

“Anyone looking at them would think they were the couple.”

My stomach cramped, like it was reacting to those words.

My friend had held back. So had I.

From the day Zoe said she was getting divorced to the day it was final.

Ethan was there every step of the way.

He handled her ex when he wouldn’t leave her alone. He found her a shark of a lawyer.

She was depressed, so they extended their business trips. After meetings, he’d walk her around whatever city they were in.

When we shopped together, Ethan would blurt out, “Zoe would love this.”

When Zoe got drunk, he’d pick her up. Go to her place. Take care of her.

I heard her slurring one night, asking why other men couldn’t be more like Ethan.

He made her detox tea and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful. “Then next time, find me sooner.”

I dragged myself out in the middle of the night for that. I frowned.

“Ethan. Don’t you think you and Zoe are crossing a line?”

He stared at me for a few seconds. Then he laughed.

“You’re jealous over that?”

“She’s been with me since the firm was nothing. Never complained once.”

“The divorce hit her hard. Of course I have to look out for her.”

Every time I brought it up, he fed me the same lines.

When I pushed too hard, he’d tell me to calm down, to stop seeing something dirty every time a man and woman were in the same room.

The worst fight we ever had—the one that almost ended us—was at his company holiday party.

First prize was an all-inclusive resort voucher for two.

I hooked my finger around his. “If you win, or if I win, we’ll go when you take time off.”

I was number six. Zoe was number nine.

When they announced the raffle, Zoe was hyping it up. “Pick me! Pick me! I want it!”

Ethan was drawing the ticket. The room was loud, chaotic.

He and Zoe locked eyes across the crowd. Then he smiled and read the number.

“Congratulations, number nine!”

I looked down at my ticket. Disappointed, sure. But fine.

Until I saw the discarded raffle tickets they were clearing away. The number on mine was six.

Ethan admitted it. He’d done it on purpose.

“It’s a small thing. If you really want to go, I’ll take you myself.”

“Zoe’s in a dark place right now. She wanted something, and your number came up. I figured we could do something nice for her. What’s wrong with that?”

“You’ve thrown fits over little things like this so many times. Grow up, will you?”

“Stop being so petty!”

“No! No!”

I cut him off, my voice sharp.

“That was mine! You’re my boyfriend. Why do you get to give away what belongs to me without even asking?”

Ethan didn’t want to go there. He turned and started walking away.

Like I was some hysterical, nagging girlfriend.

I watched his back. Then I hurled my raffle ticket at him.

“Go ahead. Give everything away.”

“I’m giving you away too.”

“Ethan. We’re done.”

I walked. And kept walking. It didn’t register until I was halfway down the block. Then he ran after me, grabbing my arm.

He was breathing hard. He started to lay into me, but when he saw my face—saw I wasn’t bluffing—something in him cracked.

He pulled me into a tight hug, mumbling apologies.

“Okay. Okay.”

“I’m sorry, Ellie.”

“I’ll tell her to give it back. It won’t happen again.”

I stopped struggling. He nuzzled against me.

“I knew it. You could never really leave me.”

He said he’d watch his boundaries.

But then at Yara’s wedding, when Zoe said she didn’t believe love would ever find her again, Ethan decided I should hand over the bouquet.

Give her that little piece of happiness.

Only this time, I lost more than a free vacation voucher.

I stopped thinking about all of it.

I typed one message into the group chat that was blowing up.

“It’s fine. I’m breaking up with Ethan.”