She’s the Obstacle, He’s the Hero, I’m Just the Plot They’re Skipping Chapter 13

She’s the Obstacle, He’s the Hero, I’m Just the Plot They’re Skipping Chapter 13

That was when I noticed Ethan. He was standing in the far corner of the room, body angled toward me, feet rooted in place — like he wanted to come to me but couldn’t make himself do it.

Something bitter and heavy rose inside my chest. Now that I knew the truth — now that I could see every choice he’d made this past year for what it really was — it felt like someone was crushing my heart in a vise.

You absolute idiot. Who gave you the right to decide that for me?

Who told you to carry all of it alone and never say a word? Why didn’t you just ask me?

Arthur took the empty cup from my hand and slipped out of the room. The door clicked shut behind him.

Just the two of us now. He took a cautious step forward, one hand half-lifting toward me.

“Olivia… can I… come closer?”

The sight of him like that — it made me so angry I could have screamed, and so heartbroken I almost couldn’t breathe. When I didn’t tell him to stop, he inched closer, step by careful step.

He bent down and folded himself around me, his face buried in the curve of my neck. I could feel him breathing me in, deep, shaking breaths, like he’d been holding his breath for a year.

It had been so long since he’d held me. I reached up, slow, and tugged his shirt out of the way.

There they were — angry, raw streaks along his side where he’d scrubbed himself bloody. My fingers found them before I could stop myself.

“Does it hurt?”

Ethan froze.

“It’s clean now,” he whispered. “I swear I scrubbed it clean.”

“Olivia, I messed up. I should never have sent you away like that — should never have let you out of my sight for so long.

“I’ve already stepped down from the company. I’m staying right here with you, for however long you’ll let me.”

I eased back enough to look at him. The look on Ethan’s face nearly broke me all over again.

I believed every word he said. I just didn’t know what to do with any of it.

Nothing had changed about where this was headed. I was still dying. And the longer he stayed, the harder it would be for him when I was gone.

Every rational part of me said to push him away now — clean and fast, before it got worse. But the comments flickered back to life.

[God, the ML breaks my heart. But honestly, I get where the FL is coming from too.]

[If I were dying, I’d want to go somewhere quiet too. I wouldn’t want my family watching me fall apart.]

[But what if someone WANTS to be there with you until the end? My cat crawled on top of the wardrobe to hide before she died. By the time I found her, she was already gone.]

[It’s been three years and I still dream about her. I wasn’t there at the end and I’ll never know if she was scared. I’ll never forgive myself for that.]

[Honestly, the male lead kind of had it coming. He decided what was “best for her” without ever asking what she actually wanted.]

[He literally pushed the most important person in his life away. That’s insane. Right, Olivia??]

[Wait, is the commenter above actually going after the male lead?? Hold on, let me grab my popcorn, this is getting spicy.]

Something warm splashed onto the blanket over my knees. I looked up.

Tears were rolling down Ethan’s face in fat, helpless streaks.

“If you really don’t want to see me, I’ll wear a mask,” he said.

“Just pretend I’m one of the staff here. I won’t bother you. Would that be okay, Olivia?”

I closed my eyes. The comments still glowed behind my lids, fading softly. A heavy sigh escaped me.

“Come here,” I said.

The relief that broke over his face was almost unbearable to watch. He pulled me close again, burying his face in my neck, breathing me in the way he had before — deep, ragged, desperate.

After a while, he pulled back, something shifting in his expression. He reached into his bag and pulled out a change of clothes.

“Olivia, I… I taught myself a dance,” he whispered. “Online.

“I’m way better than those guys from the show last night. Do you… want to see?”

…

I wasn’t being shallow, exactly. But some things were simply too beautiful not to enjoy.

“Love Shot” drifted through the room, low and hazy, and the tips of Ethan’s ears were burning red.

I chose not to mention that Arthur was filming the whole thing through the cracked door, grinning like an idiot.