I Chose To Disappear From Their Lives Chapter 03

I Chose To Disappear From Their Lives Chapter 03

She resigned almost immediately and became Ethan’s personal assistant that same afternoon.

To celebrate her joining the company, they booked an entire private estate for her.

[I’m not going.]

I frowned at the invitation and refused.

Lily cried again.

Ethan scrambled to comfort her and came all the way to my house.

He blocked me at my bedroom door.

“Can you stop making a scene?”

I sighed. “What scene am I making? Am I not even allowed to decline an invitation?”

All these years…

As long as I didn’t go along with Lily’s wishes, as long as she cried, everything became my fault.

No one had ever asked whether I wanted to go or whether I was happy.

When we took our graduation pictures,

they bought flowers for Lily alone and forgot me.

Lily decided that wasn’t acceptable and insisted on giving the flowers to me. I refused.

So…

So she wouldn’t have to see me and feel upset, they took away my right to be in the graduation photos at all.

A picture you only get to take once in your life.

I never got mine.

Even this birthday trip to Disney World was chosen because Lily liked it,

not because I did.

To Ethan, my exhausted tone was just another tantrum.

He pressed his lips together.

He tried to speak to me as calmly as possible.

“Lily came from a small town. It took her forever to find friends like us.”

“If you don’t go, she’ll overthink it.”

“Claire, please. I’m asking you.”

I stared at him, dazed.

I never thought the golden boy Ethan Cole would one day use the word please like that.

And yet he wasn’t doing it for his girlfriend.

He was doing it for someone else.

I lowered my head. My vision blurred.

“Fine.”

He let out a breath of relief.

But as he was leaving, he quickly took the heirloom pendant from my nightstand.

It was something my grandmother had left me before she died.

I touched it every night before I could fall asleep.

“I’ll keep this for you. I’ll give it back when you actually show up.”

Something sharp pierced my chest.

“Do you even know what that is…?”

He said it as if his decision were perfectly reasonable.

“I know. You won’t actually come unless I hold on to this. And if you don’t show up, Lily will be even more upset.”

Then he said nothing else.

He turned and walked away.

I watched him walk away, and tears slipped down my face before I could stop them.

He knew I had been raised by my grandmother.

He knew that when she died, I had cried so hard I came down with pneumonia and nearly died too.

But for Lily…

He had still done this to me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, wiped my tears away, and promised myself I would never shed another one for him.

That evening…

By the time I reached the estate,

the place had been transformed into a princess’s fairytale.

When Lily saw me, she hurried over and took my hand.

“Claire, I knew you weren’t really mad at me.”

“Mm-hmm.”

I pulled my hand back without a word and walked straight to Ethan. “Give it back.”

He frowned impatiently.

“Why are you in such a hurry? If you act like this, Lily will know you didn’t want to come.”

“I’ll give it back after the party.”

Marcus glanced at me. “Claire, you’re being a little selfish.”

Noah stood on the outside of the group, blocking Lily’s view so she wouldn’t see us arguing and feel upset.

My throat tightened.

After the high fever, even swallowing hurt.

Lily sat down and blinked. “It’s time.”

Ethan shoved me aside and brought out a custom-made cake.

“It’s us, Lily. We’ll always be by your side.”

Marcus gave her a house, and Noah gave her a car.

They practically placed the best things in the world at her feet.

Lily was so moved that she burst into tears.

I glanced at the cake. Four little figures. I still wasn’t one of them.

It didn’t matter anymore.

I looked away. I didn’t care about being one of them anymore.