On His IPO Day, He Chose My Sister Chapter 05

On His IPO Day, He Chose My Sister Chapter 05

I woke up the next morning to find Ethan sitting at the dining table waiting for me.

A cold mug of black coffee sat untouched in front of him.

“Maya, my mom was really upset with how you carried yourself last night.”

I poured myself a glass of warm water. “And?”

“You shouldn’t have embarrassed Chloe in front of all the elders.”

I took a couple sips before glancing over at him.

“So what’s it to me?”

Ethan frowned, barely holding back his irritation. “You weren’t always like this.”

“Then what was I like before?”

He fell silent for a beat. “Obedient, thoughtful, knew how to behave for every occasion.”

I let out a bitter laugh. After ten years by his side, all I’d amounted to was a handful of surface compliments.

Obedient. Thoughtful. Convenient.

He rubbed his temples. “Maya, my patience only stretches so far. Don’t wait until we split up to beg me to take you back—I won’t baby you every single time.”

I met his gaze straight on.

“I won’t cry, and I won’t beg you for anything.”

Ethan let out a sharp, disbelieving huff. “Even after all these years, you’re still this stubborn.”

“Do you think I’d never walk away from you?”

I stared deep into his eyes. “So would you let me go?”

His gaze flickered, quick and fleeting. “I don’t know.”

I couldn’t tell if he truly didn’t have an answer, or just refused to say it out loud. Either way, I no longer cared to figure it out.

I walked past him toward the kitchen. “Have you eaten?”

He froze. “No.”

“Then sit down and have something with me.”

I whipped up a simple tomato basil pasta and fried two eggs. Right before setting the plate down, I instinctively wiped a smudge of sauce off the rim—this would be the last meal I cooked in this house for him.

Ethan took a bite, his features softening slightly. “If you’d carried this attitude last night, that ring would already be on your finger.”

My hands stilled mid-motion.

He pulled a black velvet ring box out of his suit pocket and slid it across the table toward me. “I’d planned to propose last night.”

I flipped the box open. Inside rested a yellow diamond ring set in rose gold, cut beautifully yet utterly foreign to me.

I lifted it and tried slipping it onto my ring finger.

It wouldn’t fit. It wasn’t sized for me.

A bitter, silly laugh caught in my throat. Ten years together, and the engagement ring he’d supposedly gotten for me didn’t even match my finger size.

“Why didn’t you propose me last night?”

Ethan set down his fork, his tone flat and cold.

“Chloe was right—you needed to learn a lesson.”

I placed the ring back into its box.

“She knew you were gonna propose?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t see a single thing wrong with that. “She even picked out the ring for me.”

It hit me then.

Chloe hadn’t picked out a ring for me at all. She’d picked one out for herself.

I slid the box back toward him. “Take it back.”

His brows shot tight together. “You’re turning me down?”

I lifted my eyes to his. “Did you even get down on one knee and propose?”

He looked caught off guard, lost for words for a moment. Then he snatched the ring box off the table and stood. “Maya, if you pass this up, there’s no telling when I’ll ask again.”

I watched him calmly. “Are you going to propose to me right now?”

He stared at me for a long moment before biting out coldly, “This is your loss.”

With that, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

“The company’s swamped with work this week—I won’t be coming home.”

The door clicked shut, leaving the house unnervingly quiet. I’d long since grown used to being alone, though.

At half-past five that afternoon, I hopped in a car bound for the airport. We hit a red light right outside Ethan’s company building, and I glanced over to the entrance.

Ethan stood there, clearly waiting for someone. Seconds later, a car pulled up, and Chloe climbed out, throwing herself straight into his arms. The yellow diamond ring glinted blindingly on her ring finger beneath the sunset glow.

The driver shot a quick look over, muttering to himself.

“That’s Ethan Cole, right? The guy who brought his girlfriend to ring the Nasdaq bell the other day. Look at that ring—they’re definitely tying the knot soon.”

I rolled up the window. “Let’s go.”

The light turned green, and the car pulled forward.

Ethan had his empire, built on fame and fortune. I had my kitchen, my knives, my flames. I wouldn’t be walking beside him any longer.