They Planned A Party In My Home Without Me Chapter 03

They Planned A Party In My Home Without Me Chapter 03

My landlord called almost immediately.

“Why are you suddenly moving out? You said you were going to renew for another term.”

“My work situation changed.”

“What about your boyfriend? When he came to see the apartment last time, he said he’d move in after the holiday.”

I was silent for a moment.

“I don’t have a boyfriend anymore.”

After I hung up, I started packing.

Half the clothes in the closet belonged to Ethan.

His razor sat in the bathroom. His sneakers filled the shoe rack, and he’d stuffed the study with gaming equipment.

He insisted we weren’t officially living together.

But his life had slowly crowded into my apartment anyway.

I had never really entered his life.

That afternoon, Mia sent me a picture.

It showed a newly furnished bedroom.

The bed was covered with the light gray sheets Ethan and I had picked out together. The floor lamp I’d bought for him stood beside the desk.

[Lena, you have such great taste.]

[Ethan said the ceiling in my apartment was leaking and told me to stay at his place for now. You don’t mind, right?]

I stared at that lamp for several seconds.

I’d bought it for Ethan’s new place.

He’d said he was moving after the holiday. Once everything was ready, we’d finally meet each other’s parents.

Now another woman had moved into the place first.

I didn’t answer Mia. I called Ethan instead.

There was a lot of noise on his end. Several men were assembling furniture.

“Make it quick. I’m busy.”

“Why is Mia staying at your new place?”

“The ceiling in her apartment started leaking, and her landlord won’t do anything. What was I supposed to do, let her sleep on the street?”

You promised me that place was going to be our home.

Ethan clicked his tongue.

“She’s only staying a few days. Stop calling it our future home like we’re already married.”

Tyler’s laughter came through the phone.

“Exactly. You two haven’t even made it official, and you’re already acting possessive.”

Ryan chimed in from somewhere nearby.

“Lena, you have a place to live. Mia genuinely doesn’t have anywhere to go right now. Can’t you tell what matters most?”

With the phone still in my hand, I remembered the day we’d looked at the place a year earlier.

Ethan had pulled out a tape measure and said we’d put two lamps on the nightstand.

One for him to play video games, one for me to read.

The other lamp was probably beside Mia’s bed now.

“How long is she staying?”

“Until her apartment is fixed.”

“A week or a month?”

Ethan sounded irritated.

“Why do you need every detail?”

“I’m not going to sleep with her. If you can’t trust me this much, what are we even doing talking about marriage?”

I understood.

They always had a thousand reasons to prove that I was the one who wasn’t understanding enough, generous enough, or mature enough.

The moment I spoke up about it, I was the one in the wrong.

“Okay.”

I said it quietly.

“Then we won’t get married.”

Ethan was silent for two seconds, then laughed.

“Here we go again.”

“Yesterday you threw everyone out, and today you’re saying we’re not getting married. Are you done with this performance yet?”

“Call me when you’ve calmed down. I don’t have time for this.”

He hung up first.

He was probably certain I’d regret it soon.

After all, I’d been the one to back down first every time we’d fought, ever since we were kids.

When Ethan forgot an anniversary, I made excuses for him.

When Ryan used one of my secrets to make Mia laugh, I was the one who said I could take a joke.

When Tyler went to a concert with Mia on my birthday, I still made late-night food for them.

They knew they’d hurt me.

They just knew I’d stay after I was hurt.

My phone vibrated again.

It was a transfer notice from HR.

Six months earlier, the company had wanted me to move to Riverton to lead a new project.

It came with a promotion and a significant raise.

I’d turned it down at the time.

Ethan had said we were about to meet each other’s parents, and if I left, we’d only keep putting it off.

HR asked me:

[The position is still open. One last confirmation: can you start after the holiday?]

I didn’t hesitate this time.

[Yes.]

[What’s the earliest you could start?]

The reply came quickly:

[July 8.]

I booked my train ticket and took the framed photos off the bookshelf one by one.

A message popped up in the group chat.

Mia had posted a picture of a table piled with barbecue.

Ethan, Ryan, and Tyler were holding up their glasses and smiling.

[Thank you, boys, for giving me a home.]

Ethan tagged me in the group chat.

[That’s enough.]

[Everyone’s going to your place tomorrow night. We’ll talk this out in person.]

Then he added another message.

[Mia wants your honey-glazed salmon, so remember to buy the groceries ahead of time.]

I opened my train reservation.

I had three days before I left.