The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 03

The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 3 All My Hard Work
Still dizzy from the lingering fever, I dragged the last cardboard box into my newly rented apartment.
Completely drained, I collapsed onto the couch and instinctively picked up my phone, opening Instagram.
The first post on my feed was from Maya.
A nine-photo dump filled the screen.
I swiped through them one by one.
In one photo, she was cliff diving, her arms wrapped tightly around Ethan’s waist.
In another, they were at a beach BBQ, and she was laughing as she fed him a piece of barbecue straight off the grill.
In another, she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder beside a bonfire, the two of them wrapped together in the same blanket.
Every single picture looked like it belonged to a couple on a romantic vacation.
Maya’s caption read:
“Going on adventures with your best bro is the ultimate kind of romance~ Some people probably will never understand this kind of happiness ”
Ethan’s comment appeared right underneath.
“You’re the one who understands me best. Next time I’ll take you climbing somewhere even wilder. ”
Several of Ethan’s friends chimed in as well.
“Honestly you two look like a better match.” ”
For a moment, my heart felt like someone had grabbed it tightly.
Then the grip suddenly loosened.
The pain I had expected never came.
Instead, there was only a dull numbness—like the feeling you get after being hurt too many times.
Six months ago, Maya had posted a photo of herself with Ethan, their arms slung casually around each other’s shoulders.
The caption had been just as suggestive.
The moment I saw it, I completely lost control.
I had fought with Ethan for hours, hysterically demanding that he choose between Maya and me.
But Ethan had remained calm the entire time.
Cold.
Disgusted.
“Daphne, you really disappoint me,” he had said.
“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’ve filled your head with. Do you really think a man and a woman can’t just be friends?
“Maya and I are basically family. Why do you insist on twisting our relationship into something disgusting?”
We fought until we were both exhausted.
In the end, he slammed the door and left.
That night he went out drinking with Maya and the rest of his friends.
They stayed at a bar until morning.
And he posted even more photos online—photos of them laughing together, leaning on each other, acting closer than ever.
I knew exactly what he was doing.
He was forcing me to back down.
And in the end, I did.
I called him while crying, apologizing and promising I would stop being suspicious.
When Ethan finally came home, he carried himself like the winner of a game.
From that day on, Maya’s provocations only became more blatant.
But I couldn’t get angry.
Because Ethan would always threaten to break up with me.
And I was the one who couldn’t bear to lose him.
But now, staring at Maya’s newest post, I calmly tapped the like button.
No anger.
No tears.
My heart was completely still.
……
The fever kept coming back in waves, but I didn’t dare go to the doctor.
The opening day of my photography exhibition was getting closer.
I forced myself to keep working, organizing the final materials for the show.
That was when I suddenly realized something was missing.
The camera containing all my original photos—
and the USB drive with the backup files—
were both gone.
My heart began pounding violently.
I searched through every single box I had packed.
Nothing.
Then suddenly I remembered something.
That night when Maya had been jumping around the apartment, claiming she was “helping” us pack.
A terrifying suspicion formed in my mind.
I immediately opened the security camera app connected to Ethan’s apartment and pulled up the footage from that night.
In the video, while I was distracted and Ethan was busy packing his things, Maya quickly grabbed my camera and the storage case holding my USB drive.
She slipped both items straight into her bag.
Her movements were smooth.
Effortless.
And she still wore that careless, almost cheerful smile on her face.
A wave of panic crashed over me.
Those files contained an entire year of my work.
My hands trembled as I dialed Ethan’s number.
When he picked up, loud music and shouting voices blasted through the phone.
He was clearly at a bar.
“Ethan!”
My voice shook.
“Put Maya on the phone right now!
“The camera and USB drive she took contain everything for my exhibition!”
My words tumbled out in a frantic rush.