The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 01

The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 1 : Let’s Call It Quits

On the night before Ethan Cole and I were supposed to go to the courthouse and make our marriage official, his girl best friend burst into our apartment in the middle of the night.

She was holding a pair of Ethan’s boxers and grinning like she had just won the lottery.

“Pack your stuff,” she said excitedly. “I’m taking him on a spontaneous trip.”

When it came to me, though, she suddenly looked innocent.

“This is kind of a trip just for our group,” Maya Bennett said casually. “I didn’t book you a ticket. You’re not mad, right, Daphne?”

Ethan chimed in without hesitation.

“You’re still running a fever anyway. It’s probably better if you stay home.”

I stared at him.

“What about tomorrow?” I asked. “We’re supposed to go to the courthouse.”

Ethan shrugged as if it were nothing.

“We can do it after I get back. It’s not a big deal.”

Not a big deal.

The day we were supposed to get married… was a small thing to him.

Watching them walk out together, exhaustion suddenly washed over me.

I was tired.

Tired of the way they had crossed every boundary for years.

So that same night, I packed my things and left.

Before I walked away, I sent one last message.

“Ethan, we’re done. ”

An hour earlier.

The past few weeks had been chaos.

Between preparing for tomorrow’s courthouse appointment and a photography exhibition opening in two weeks, I had barely slept. On top of that, I’d been running a low-grade fever ever since I fell into a river during a shoot not long ago.

After finishing organizing my photo portfolio, I took some fever medicine and drifted into a hazy sleep.

Suddenly, someone jumped onto the bed and landed right on Ethan.

A large portable charger slipped from her hand and smashed straight into my face.

Ethan and I jolted awake.

I fumbled for the bedside lamp.

Of course.

It was Maya again—Ethan’s so-called girl best friend, the one he always described as “one of the guys.”

She was sitting on top of him, practically vibrating with excitement.

“The guys are all waiting downstairs!” Maya said. “Get up! I’m taking you on a spontaneous adventure!”

Ethan normally had a terrible temper when woken up.

But when he saw it was Maya, he only laughed and cursed lightly.

“Are you insane? What the hell are you doing barging in here at this hour?

“You’re the insane one,” Maya shot back. “Hurry up and pack!”

As she spoke, she casually opened Ethan’s drawer, pulled out a pair of his boxers, and tossed them onto the bed like she owned the place.

Ethan was an outdoor adventure vlogger.

Spontaneity was basically his entire personality.

Without another word, he started packing immediately.

He even turned to me excitedly.

“Come on, Daphne. Pack your stuff too.”

Then he noticed the blood.

I was sitting there with blood running from my nose.

“What happened?” he asked.

Maya waved a hand dismissively.

“Oops. My bad. I dropped the charger and accidentally hit her.”

She said it lightly, without the slightest hint of apology.

Ethan grabbed a few tissues and handed them to me.

“How could you be so careless?” he said. “Hold this to your nose. Then get up and pack.”

But Maya suddenly looked awkward.

“Actually… about that,” she said slowly. “This trip is really just for our group. I didn’t book a ticket for you.”

She tilted her head.

“You’re not mad, right, Daphne?”

Ethan thought about it for a moment and nodded.

“You’re still sick anyway. It’s better if you stay home.”

I looked at him.

“Then what about tomorrow? The courthouse?”

Ethan shrugged again.

“We’ll just go after I get back. It’s not a big deal.”

Not a big deal?

The day we were supposed to get married was a small thing to him?

My heart slowly sank.

“Ethan,” I said quietly. “I’m asking you one last time.

“Are you really leaving right now?”

Before he could answer, Maya clicked her tongue impatiently.

“If we keep standing around talking, we’re going to miss the flight!”

She grabbed Ethan’s arm.

“Come on, Ethan. Hurry up!”

Under my hopeful gaze, he didn’t hesitate for even a second.

He finished dressing, picked up his suitcase, and headed for the door.

“Let me go have some fun first,” he said casually.

“Just stay home and wait for me. I’ll bring you back a gift.”

The door slammed shut behind them.

Their laughter echoed down the hallway as they rushed away.

The apartment suddenly felt unbearably quiet.

I stared at the mess scattered across the room—and the tissues stained with my blood.

A deep exhaustion settled into my bones.

During the three years Ethan and I had been together, Maya had always barged into our lives like this.

No boundaries.

No distance.

And Ethan had always let her.

Sometimes he even sided with her, laughing it off and telling me not to take things so seriously.

And now—

On the very night before our wedding—

He had left to travel with her.

I was done.

Ignoring the pounding in my head from the fever, I packed my things through the night.

At dawn, I walked out of the apartment I had once believed was my home.

The early morning wind was freezing.

Standing on the empty street, I pulled out my phone and sent Ethan one final message.

“Ethan, we’re done.”