IGNORED! HE ALWAYS SAVED HIS RIGHT EAR FOR HER Chapter 03

IGNORED! HE ALWAYS SAVED HIS RIGHT EAR FOR HER Chapter 03

When I woke up the next morning, Ethan was gone.

A cup of warm sweet tea sat on the bedside table.

It was still warm.

I got out of bed and saw Ethan busy in the kitchen.

“You’re awake.”

He smiled at me.

“Come have breakfast. I made your favorite oatmeal.”

I sat at the dining table and looked at the peeled eggs and the bowl of steaming oatmeal in front of me.

For a moment, it felt like everything from yesterday had only been a nightmare.

Like he still loved me…

Ethan walked over with a smile.

Then he reached into his pocket and took out a ring.

“Claire, we don’t need all those cheesy words between us.”

He gently took my hand and slipped the delicate ring onto my finger.

Before yesterday, I had imagined this moment countless times.

I had dreamed about it.

I had waited for it.

But now…

All I felt was bitterness spreading through my chest.

My eyes instantly turned red.

Ethan thought I was crying because I was overwhelmed with happiness.

He pulled me into his arms and softly comforted me.

“Hey, don’t cry.”

When I was twenty, my father passed away and my mother fell ill.

The sudden changes in my life had broken me.

There were countless nights when I couldn’t sleep because I felt like I was falling apart.

Ethan had been the one running everywhere, helping me handle everything at home.

Every night when I broke down, he would hold me like this.

He would gently pat my back and whisper:

“Don’t cry. I’m here.”

“I’ll always be by your side.”

Those memories wrapped around my heart like delicate threads.

The tighter they became, the harder it was for me to breathe.

Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I leaned close to his ear and whispered:

“Ethan…”

“Why did you fall for someone else?”

“What does Madison have that I don’t?”

“You were the one who loved me first…”

“Claire, what did you say?”

“I couldn’t hear you.”

The phone on the marble table suddenly lit up.

Ethan immediately let go of me.

He picked up his phone.

The glow from the screen revealed the small smile forming at the corner of his lips.

It was less than ten inches away from me.

I saw it clearly.

The contact name on the screen was:

**Madds-Bug.**

“I need to take care of something.”

“Eat first.”

After saying that, he took his phone and walked into the study without looking back.

For a long time, I sat there silently.

Then I lowered my eyes and turned the ring around my finger.

It was slightly too small.

It was stuck around my knuckle.

And it hurt.

I tried several times to remove it.

But I couldn’t.

Looking at my swollen finger, I finally gave up.

I lowered my head onto the table and cried.

It wasn’t until the confirmation that my ticket had been issued arrived that I slowly calmed down.

I saved the flight information screenshot.

Then I stood up and started packing.

When I passed by the study, I saw Ethan through the crack in the door.

He was holding his phone.

The speaker was pressed against his right ear.

He looked like he was holding something precious, afraid of missing even a single word Madison said.

Once, when I was outside and couldn’t type conveniently, I had sent Ethan a voice message too.

That was the first time he had ever gotten angry with me.

“Claire, you know my hearing isn’t good.”

“Why would you send me a voice message?”

“Can you think about how I feel?”

He had given me the silent treatment for an entire week.

After that, I never dared send him another voice message.

But now…

He was playing Madison’s voice messages again and again.

“Does Claire like the ring?”

“I told you. Madison and Claire have the same ring size.”

“The ring I tried on myself couldn’t possibly be wrong.”

“Now tell me, how are you going to thank me?”

Ethan laughed at her playful voice.

His eyes curved with amusement.

“In a couple of days, I’ll need you to help Claire try on her wedding dress and go through the wedding rehearsal.”

“I’ll thank you properly then.”

Madison paused.

Then she spoke in a teasing, arrogant tone.

“Ethan…”

“Are you marrying Claire?”

“Or are you marrying me?”

The man didn’t answer immediately.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

“If it were you…”

“At least I’d actually be happy.”

My eyes suddenly burned.

I lifted my hand and pressed the back of it hard against my eyes.

Ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Only after the heat faded did I lower my hand.

I turned around.

I stopped looking at them.

I placed my documents and a few clothes I often wore into my suitcase.

The moment I zipped it closed, Ethan pushed open the door.

He froze when he saw the suitcase.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“My company scheduled a business trip for me.”

I didn’t even look up.

Ethan hesitated.

He glanced at the dark clouds gathering outside.

“I’ll take you.”

I had no reason to refuse.

“Okay.”

The car moved along the highway.

Ethan turned on the music.

A soft jazz melody slowly filled the car.

It was the same song Madison had shared on Instagram a few days ago.

He hummed along with the melody like he always did.

After the song had played on repeat for the ninth time, Ethan looked ahead and spoke.

“When are you coming back?”

“Send me your flight details.”

“I’ll pick you up when you return.”

“Then we should start getting ready for the wedding.”

I didn’t answer.

I just kept turning the ring around my finger.

Maybe because I wasn’t reacting as excitedly as he expected, Ethan frowned and looked at me.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Weren’t you the one who was always saying you wanted to get married?”

“Why are you suddenly so quiet now?”

I paused.

Then I calmly said:

“Ethan, we…”

Before I could finish speaking, Madison’s call came in.

“Ethan…”

“I just had a nightmare.”

“The thunder woke me up.”

“My chest feels tight, and I can’t catch my breath.”

“Can you come stay with me for a little while?”

“Okay.”

“I’m coming right now.”

The moment Ethan hung up, he turned the car around.

He drove away in the opposite direction.

“Ethan, I’m going to miss my flight.”

He didn’t hear me.

I raised my voice.

“Ethan!”

“She’s having chest pain. She should go to the hospital.”

“YOU’RE NOT HER DOCTOR. YOU CAN’T HELP HER.”

Ethan suddenly slammed on the brakes.

The car stopped on the side of the road.

“I’M NOT YOUR DRIVER EITHER!”

“Get out.”

“GET THE FUCK OUT.”

His voice was cold and commanding.

Outside the car, thunder exploded.

Rain slammed against the windows.

The ring finally slipped off my finger.

It landed in my palm.

Softly.

I opened the door.

And stepped out.

The moment I pulled my suitcase from the trunk, Ethan started the car and drove away.

The sudden movement made me lose my balance.

I fell into the muddy puddle.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, I laughed.

I never thought that after five years together…

This was how our relationship would end.

So messy.

So humiliating.

But maybe it was better this way.

At least I finally stopped hoping for him to change.

From now on…

WE WOULD NEVER MEET AGAIN.