The Game Where I Lost My Last Finger And Him Chapter 03

The Game Where I Lost My Last Finger And Him Chapter 03

“She’s basically your pathetic little puppy, Ethan. You can’t chase her off no matter what you do.”

Ethan’s lips curved faintly.

Then he lowered his head and untied the thin cord from around his neck.

A good-luck pendant hung from it.

I had one too.

When we were seven, both our families had bought them for us during a trip and had them blessed for good luck.

One for each of us.

We had worn them since we were children and had never taken them off.

He once said they were our promise to each other.

On our wedding day, we would exchange them.

Now, he handed his pendant to Chloe.

Chloe took it and held it up to the light, her eyes bright with smug delight.

“It’s pretty. It’s mine now, and so are you.”

I wiped the water from my face and fixed my eyes on Ethan.

He glanced at me, and the smile on his lips faded.

“What? Do I need your permission to give away my own things?”

I had come back waiting for an explanation. Instead, I got a bucket of cold water and a room full of cruelty.

He was no longer the boy who would risk everything for me.

SSomeone shouted, “Come on, next stop, karaoke room. I already booked a room!”

Everyone started heading out.

As Chloe passed me, she stuck out her foot and tripped me.

I pitched forward, and my knee slammed into the threshold so hard I sucked in a sharp breath.

She glanced back, all sweet innocence.

“Oops. Sorry. Didn’t see you there.”

Then she linked her arm through Ethan’s and walked away.

Chloe tugged Ethan along, and he passed right by me with only one brief glance down.

The glance was so brief that before I could read whatever emotion might have been there, he had already looked away.

Then he followed her out.

I knelt on the cold floor, blood seeping from my knee while water dripped from my hair and hit the ground.

Drop by drop.

Just like all the feelings I had wasted on him over the years.

I did not dare go home looking like that.

Dad would worry if he saw me in such a mess.

So I found a hotel and got a room.

I stood under the hot shower for a long time before I finally felt warm again.

When I came out, there were several messages on my phone.

All from Ethan.

[Your dad called and asked when you were coming home. I told him you were with me. Go home soon.]

[Where are you? Are you safe?]

Then came a video call.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

On the screen, Ethan’s face was still painfully handsome, with a dimly lit hallway behind him.

He frowned slightly.

“You’re at a hotel?”

“Yeah.”

“Which hotel?”

“That’s none of your business.”

He was silent for a few seconds before saying, “Then don’t wander around. I don’t want to have to explain anything to your dad.”

“Ethan.”

My throat tightened.

“Are you really giving her the pendant?”

He said nothing.

“When we were little, you said it was our promise. You said we would exchange them on our wedding day.”

“…”

“You gave yours to Chloe. So what does that make me?”

His lips parted, but in the end, all he said was, “It’s not like it’s worth anything.”

A hollow laugh caught in my throat.

“Right. It isn’t worth anything.”

“Just like me, right?”

“Audrey.”

I ended the call.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang.

It was a delivery.

A tube of ointment for scrapes and a bowl of warm porridge.

I sat on the hotel bed while messages kept pouring into the class group chat.

Someone had posted a video of Chloe and Ethan singing together at the karaoke bar.

Chloe leaned against his shoulder as the two of them held microphones and sang a love song I had never heard before.

The comments flooded the screen.

[Ethan, the way you’re looking at Chloe is so sweet!]

[I’m begging you. Just kiss already, if not for yourselves, then for me!]