I Took His Own Radio Advice And Walked Away From Seven Years Chapter 04

I Took His Own Radio Advice And Walked Away From Seven Years Chapter 04

I had just finished packing and was about to check out of the hotel when my phone vibrated several times in a row. Bank alerts flashed across the screen. Thirty-nine thousand dollars had been withdrawn. My account balance was zero.

I had given Ethan access to the account so he could pay the final balance for the wedding reception. I had earned that money through seven years of overtime, working until I gave myself chronic stomach problems. It was also the only safety net I had for starting over in Bayport. I leaned against the hotel hallway wall, my hand shaking so badly that I could barely open my contacts.

When Ethan answered, I heard an airport announcement in the background.

“So you finally decided to call me?”

He sounded amused.

“I knew you wouldn’t last a day.”

My voice trembled.

“Where is my money?”

“I used it to deal with the show’s contract problems.”

Clips from the previous night’s broadcast had gone viral. The show was caught in a scandal over its hosts’ personal lives, and the sponsor was preparing to pull out.

Ethan had spent sixteen thousand dollars on a contract penalty and another ten thousand on a PR firm to bury the bad press. He used the rest to buy two plane tickets and reserve a hotel. He was taking Tara overseas to record a two-month special series. If the series went well, she could keep her position as host.

“That was my money!”

Silence, then a quiet scoff.

“And whose fault is this mess? If you had apologized in public last night, none of this would have blown up and the sponsor wouldn’t be walking away. Consider the money the price of your tantrum.”

I tightened my grip on the phone.

“It took me seven years to save that money. Why didn’t you ask me before you spent it?”

“We’re about to be married. Do we really have to keep score like this?”

He sounded as though the answer were obvious.

“We can earn more money, and the wedding can wait. Tara may never get another opportunity like this. If the scandal destroys her career, she loses everything.”

The sheer absurdity of it washed over me. I was so furious, all I could do was laugh. The wedding I had spent six months planning could simply be postponed. The savings I had spent seven years building could be taken to rescue another woman’s career.

I heard Tara tell him they needed to board. Ethan answered her at once, his voice gentle. He had not spoken to me with that kind of patience in years.

“What about our wedding?” I asked.

He chuckled, probably believing I was finally scared.

“We’ll have it when I get back. You care too much about our seven years together to leave over something this small.”

Tara called his name again.

“We’ll talk when I get home,” he said quickly. “Don’t interfere with my work.”

He hung up. I tipped my head back and tried to hold in my tears, but my eyes burned. I stared at the zero balance and did not call him again. The documentary crew agreed to advance my first month’s pay and had already arranged a place for me to stay. I mailed the engagement ring and the house key to Ethan’s parents. I told both families the wedding was off, then left every wedding-planning thread.

While I waited for my flight, Tara posted a photo. Ethan was pulling her suitcase through the airport.

Tara: [When you’ve hit rock bottom, you find out who will start over beside you.]

Ethan commented beneath it.

Ethan replied: [I will never make you face it alone.]

The boarding announcement came for my flight to Bayport. I blocked them both and pulled my suitcase toward the gate. I had never imagined seven years of love would end so miserably.

Maybe that was for the best. It killed the last of my hope. From now on, we would never see each other again.