He Thought I’d Always Stay—Then the Countdown Hit Zero Chapter 01

He Thought I’d Always Stay—Then the Countdown Hit Zero Chapter 01

I could see a countdown above anyone who had decided to leave their partner.

The day my father’s countdown reached zero, he abandoned my mother and me along with a signed divorce settlement agreement.

The day my best friend’s countdown reached zero, she finally made up her mind to dump that good-for-nothing jerk.

I had always been terrified of seeing a countdown above Ethan Hayes’s head.

But throughout our seven years of marriage, there had been nothing.

I had thanked my lucky stars countless times for marrying such a good man.

However, last month, he came to pick me up from work.

The moment I looked up, glowing red numbers seared themselves into my vision.

[702 days, 14 hours, 22 minutes.]

Less than two years.

My heart clenched, and I began desperately searching for an answer.

Had I done something wrong?

Or had he… changed??

Then came the stormy day when we ran into his intern outside the office.

The young woman was soaked to the skin, yet she was smiling brightly.

Ethan handed her a tissue without any visible reaction.

But at that exact moment, the countdown suddenly plunged.

[327 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes.]

More than three hundred days vanished.

The rain was deafening.

I knew I had found the reason.

…

“Mr. Hayes, Natalie, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t get a ride in this weather.”

The car door opened.

Wind and rain swept into the car, splashing across the leather seats.

Chloe Bennett closed her umbrella and climbed into the back seat, bringing a rush of damp air with her.

Her white chiffon blouse clung tightly to her body, and wet strands of hair stuck to her face and neck.

She looked miserable.

But her smile was bright.

Ethan kept one hand on the steering wheel.

He didn’t turn around.

He simply pulled several tissues from the console, reached past my shoulder, and held them out to her.

“Dry yourself off. You don’t want to catch a cold.”

His voice was gentle, filled with the same easy thoughtfulness he showed everyone.

Chloe took the tissues, her fingers brushing Ethan’s hand.

She didn’t pull away.

“Thank you, Mr. Hayes. I knew I could count on you.”

She spoke with a playful smile, completely at ease around him.

Ethan withdrew his hand and rubbed his fingertips twice against the steering wheel.

“It’s tough for a young woman like you, being out meeting clients alone.”

I sat in the passenger seat, staring silently through the windshield at the storm.

The wipers swung frantically, clearing layer after layer of water.

The very moment Ethan said “tough for,” the glowing red numbers above his head flickered and shifted again.

[327 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes.]

The numbers flickered.

Then they became:

[289 days, 10 hours, 12 minutes.]

One casual expression of sympathy had cut more than a month from our marriage.

I closed my eyes as a dull ache knotted in my stomach.

“Is the AC too cold?” Ethan suddenly asked.

I thought he was talking to me.

I was about to say I was fine when Chloe sneezed in the back seat.

“It is a little chilly. My clothes are soaked, so the air feels freezing.”

Ethan glanced at the controls.

He reached for the thermostat and raised the temperature by five degrees.

Then his eyes landed on the cashmere throw across my lap.

I had left it in the car a few days earlier to keep my legs warm.

“Natalie.”

He said my name.

“Let Chloe use the blanket. She’s freezing.”

I turned to look at him.

The car was dim, and the passing streetlights swept rapidly across his handsome face.

His expression was perfectly natural, as though he had made the most ordinary request in the world.

Open. Selfless. Completely without guilt.

That was Ethan.

The perfect man everyone praised.

Gentle, considerate, and driven by his infuriating need to be kind to everyone.

Without a word, I lifted the cashmere throw from my legs and handed it into the back seat.

“Thank you, Natalie!”

Chloe took it without hesitation and wrapped herself tightly in it.

“You’re so generous. Mr. Hayes is lucky he married you.”

She sniffled and sighed contentedly.

I stared at the numbers above Ethan’s head.

[260 days, 5 hours, 8 minutes.]

Another twenty-nine days were gone.

Silence settled over the car, broken only by the rain and the sound of the tires cutting through puddles.

We reached an intersection.

Turning left would take us to Maison Claire, where I had made a reservation two weeks earlier.

Going straight would take us to the run-down neighborhood on the south side where Chloe rented a room.

Ethan switched on the turn signal to go straight.

I watched the green arrow blink on the dashboard.

“Aren’t we going to the restaurant?”

My voice was soft, nearly swallowed by the rain.

Ethan stepped on the brake and glanced at me.

There was a trace of apology in his eyes.

“The rain’s too heavy, and the roads in that neighborhood are bad. It isn’t safe for her to get out alone.”

He paused.

“We’ll take her home first. It won’t matter if we’re a little late.”

“They’ll only hold our table until eight.”

“It’s already seven thirty.”

Ethan frowned slightly.

“Natalie, Chloe is my employee. I can’t leave her on the side of the road.”

“It’s only dinner. If we miss it tonight, I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

He always sounded so self-righteous he was doing the right thing.

Because he believed his motives were kind and selfless.

Anyone who stood in the way of his kindness automatically became unreasonable.

Chloe leaned forward from the back seat.

“Mr. Hayes, you can drop me off at the next light-rail station. I don’t want to ruin your anniversary.”

She sounded sincere.

But there wasn’t a light-rail station anywhere nearby.

Sure enough, Ethan’s frown deepened.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Not in this weather.”

The light turned green.

Ethan released the brake and stepped on the gas.

The car drove straight through the intersection.

Farther and farther away from the restaurant.

The countdown changed to:

[201 days, 2 hours, 30 minutes.]

“Thank you, Mr. Hayes.”